Rodney Alexander (born December 5 1946), American politician, has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing the 5th District of Louisiana (map). He was born in Bienville, Louisiana, was educated at Louisiana Technical College , and was a insurance agent, businessman, and a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for 16 years before entering the House.

On August 6, 2004, Alexander decided to switch parties and run for reelection as a Republican. He had been elected in 2002 as a Democrat. Alexander filed as a Republican on the very last day of filing, with only minutes to go. This came two days after filing for reelection as a Democrat. On August 13, a Louisiana voter filed suit to disqualify Alexander, citing a section of Louisiana election codethat appeared to prohibit a candidate from changing his or her party affiliation after initially qualifying. On August 23, a state judge ordered filing reopened in Alexander's district, and required Alexander to refile if he wanted to run again. However, a week later, a state appeals court threw out that ruling, saying the lower court went too far.

External link

• official website
• Story on Alexander's Party Switch