Career
At age 18, Higgins enlisted in the Military Police Corps of the Louisiana National Guard, serving for six years (1979–85) and reaching the rank of staff sergeant. [6] [7] [8] While working as a military officer, Higgins supported the 1992 presidential campaign of Pat Buchanan and the gubernatorial campaign of Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, despite Higgins describing Duke as a "Nazi" to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter. [9] [10]
He worked for several years as a manager of car dealerships. [5]
Local law enforcement
In 2004, Higgins became a patrol officer for the Opelousas City police department. By 2007, police chief Perry Gallow was prepared to take major disciplinary action against Higgins who was accused of beating a Black man who was handcuffed and lying about it. [11] In a letter to the city council, the police chief wrote, "Clay Higgins used unnecessary force on a subject during the execution of a warrant and later gave false statements during an internal investigation...although he later recanted his story and admitted to striking a suspect in handcuffs and later releasing him". [12] Higgins resigned before disciplinary action could be imposed.
The other patrolman involved in the 2007 incident, John Chautin, was later hired as a member of Higgins' congressional office in 2017. [13] [14] Chautin was first hired as a field representative but now works as Higgins' district director. [15]
During the 2007 investigation into his mistreatment of an unarmed and handcuffed Black man, Higgins was caught in his SWAT vehicle and gear making an alcohol purchase at a gas station in violation of department rules. Higgins and another officer were heading to a competition including other members of the SWAT team. [16] St. Landry Sheriff Bobby Guidroz would later claim he would have never hired Higgins had he known of these events. [17]
In September 2016, during his congressional campaign, Higgins claimed to have resigned from the police force for other reasons, calling Gallow "a peacock, a colorful, flightless bird". Gallow, by then retired as police chief, publicly disputed Higgins's version of events. [12]
Higgins worked for the Port Barre police department through 2010. In 2011, he joined the St. Landry Parish sheriff's office. After the office's public information officer was reassigned in October 2014, Higgins was appointed to the position and promoted to captain. [5] [18] As public information officer, Higgins made videos for the parish Crime Stoppers program. He first used standard scripts, but began to improvise in his own style, appealing to suspects to surrender and sometimes threatening them by name. [19] His videos went viral, and in 2015 he was described by national media as the "Cajun John Wayne" for his intimidating persona. [7] Sheriff Bobby Guidroz urged restraint, advising Higgins to refrain from personal comments about suspects and to keep a professional tone in his videos. [20]
Higgins film a video for the state police, with a script that prompted protests from suspects' families and the ACLU. He resigned from the St. Landry Parish sheriff's office in February 2016. [21] [22] Guidroz had warned him against using disrespectful and demeaning language about suspects, ordering him to "Tone down his unprofessional comments on our weekly Crime Stoppers messages". [23] He issued a statement saying that Higgins's comments underlined "a growing undertone of insubordination and lack of discipline on Higgins' part". [24] Guidroz said that Higgins had gone against department policy by misusing his badge and uniform for personal profit and gain, citing Higgins's wearing a uniform in an ad for a security firm. He also reprimanded Higgins for using his badge and uniform on his personal website to support sales of T-shirts and shot glasses for his limited liability corporation (LLC). Higgins had also used the department's physical address in registering his corporation with the state. Both actions were against department policy. [20]
Salon reported that during this period, Higgins "negotiated paid speaking appearances with other police departments. In one email, Higgins discussed his request for a speaker's fee that included shopping money for his wife and part of the fuel for a friend's private plane." [25] He asked for cash payments. Higgins also conducted his private business via email on "his government email-account during work hours without the permission or knowledge of his supervisors. Higgins also appears to have attempted to conceal his earnings from the IRS in order to avoid wage garnishment for unpaid taxes. Whether those actions constitute tax fraud is unclear." [25]
Shortly after resigning from St. Landry Parish, in March 2016, Higgins was accepted and sworn in as a reserve deputy marshal in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. [26] Reserve forces in city and Parish sheriff's offices in Louisiana receive regular training and are commissioned as law enforcement officers. They are part-time and made up of persons from many walks of life. [27]
In 2019, Higgins retired his commission as a reserve deputy marshal. He maintains an active law enforcement commission as a reserve officer with the Louisiana attorney general's office. [4]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2016
After Higgins's resignation from the St. Landry sheriff's office, Chris Comeaux, a Republican campaign staffer, recruited him to run for office. [19] In May 2016, Higgins declared his candidacy in the 2016 election in the 3rd district. [29] [30] He crossed district lines to run for this seat, as his home in Port Barre is in the neighboring 5th district. Members of the House are only constitutionally required to live in the state they represent. [6] A Super PAC headed by U.S. senator David Vitter's former chief of staff supported Higgins's candidacy. [29]
Higgins finished second in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on November 8, behind Republican Scott Angelle, in which nearly 68% of the parish voted. [29] [31] He faced Angelle in a runoff election on December 10 and won with 56.1% of the vote; turnout had declined to about 28% of voters. [29]
2018
Higgins was challenged by Democrats Rob Anderson, Mildred "Mimi" Methvin, Larry Rader, and Verone Thomas, Libertarian Aaron Andrus, and Republican Josh Guillory. [32] Donald Trump endorsed Higgins. [33] He defeated all six challengers in the jungle primary, winning reelection without a runoff. [34]
In response to protests in response to the police shooting death of Trayford Pellerin, Higgins made a post on Facebook stating he would "drop 10 of you where you stand." [35]
2020
Higgins was reelected with 67.76% of the vote to Democrat Braylon Harris's 17.89%, Democrat Rob Anderson's 11.59%, and Libertarian Brandon Leleux's 2.75%.
2022
Higgins was reelected with 64.3% of the vote to Republican Holden Hoggatt's 10.9%, Democrat Lessie Olivia Leblanc's 10.5%, Democrat Tia LeBrun's 9.4%, Republican Thomas "Lane" Payne, Jr.'s 1.8%, Independent Gloria R. Wiggins's 1.4%, Republican Jacob "Jake" Shaheen's 0.9%, and Libertarian Guy McLendon's 0.7%.
2024
Higgins was reelected with 70.6% of the vote. Democratic challengers Priscilla Gonzalez and Sadi Summerlin won 18.7% and 6.6% of the vote respectively, while Republican challenger Xan John won 4.1%.
Political positions
COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Higgins was an outspoken skeptic, and asserted that the Chinese Communist Party had created the disease as part of a biological warfare campaign. [51]
In May 2020 CNN interview, Higgins described face masks as a "bacteria trap" and said they did not help to slow the spread of COVID-19, noting that he did not believe they were effective as smells are able to pass through them. [52]
In May 2021, Higgins wrote on Facebook, "I do not support mandatory vaccines, mask mandates or any form of required vaccine passport." [51] In July 2021, he introduced a bill that would make it illegal for employers to mandate vaccination for their employees. [53]
In the same month, Higgins confirmed that he and his wife had both contracted COVID-19 in January 2020, and that they had since contracted it a second time, along with their son. [53] [54] He has not publicly revealed his vaccination status. [51]
Freedom of speech
Higgins has consistently claimed to be a defender of free expression and the First Amendment. In 2023, he co-sponsored House Resolution 140 (Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act), stating in a press release that "no single organization, including the federal government, should determine what constitutes as an acceptable form of speech". [55] [56]
In September 2025, three days after the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, Higgins detailed in a post on X his plans to use Federal authority in retaliation against Americans who, in his judgment, had expressed opinions which "belittled" the event, including lobbying social media platforms to permanently ban them from access for life [57] Higgins also claimed he would seek to revoke the driving privileges, debank, and expel from school anyone he views as celebrating the death of Kirk. [58]
Gun rights
Higgins supports gun rights and opposes the regulation of firearms. In 2017, he said, "The modern hysteria over guns is another example of our weakened society. Guns weren't really regulated at all prior to the '60s in America. Throughout our history, prior to just 50 years ago, a child could purchase a gun from any seller, if Daddy sent him with the money." [50]
Higgins has endorsed the use of firearms for political confrontation. He has appeared at rallies hosted by the Oath Keepers and publicly praised the Three Percenters, militia groups that advocate violent action against the United States government. [59]
National security
Higgins supported Trump's 2017 Executive Order 13679 to temporarily curtail travel from certain muslim majority countries, saying, "The president's executive order for a short-term restriction on visa entries from seven countries that are known to foster terrorists, combined with a systematic review of our immigration and vetting procedure, is reasonable." [61]
Higgins has promoted himself and spoken at rallies by anti-government militia groups. [62]
On February 28, 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Higgins tweeted, "You millennial leftists who never lived one day under nuclear threat can now reflect upon your woke sky. You made quite a non-binary fuss to save the world from intercontinental ballistic tweets", the meaning of which became a subject of minor debate. [63] [64]
Russia
On March 19, 2024, Higgins voted against House Resolution 149 condemning the illegal abduction and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. He was one of nine Republicans to do so. [65]
Higgins has introduced legistlation to prohibit the transfer of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine. [66]
Controversies
Several of Higgins's Facebook posts have been removed for contravening the company's policy against inciting violence. [67]
In June of 2017, following the London Bridge terror attack, Higgins wrote on Facebook: “The free world… all of Christendom… is at war with Islamic horror. Not one penny of American treasure should be granted to any nation who harbors these heathen animals. Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter. Their intended entry to the American homeland should be summarily denied. Every conceivable measure should be engaged to hunt them down. Hunt them, identity [sic] them, and kill them. Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all.” [68]
On June 25, 2017, Higgins was slated for a speech the "Rally for Free Speech" held in DC and attended by far-right and neo-nazi groups. White supremecist Richard Spencer was also the main speaker at the event. Higgins did not end up speaking, but later spoke to a smaller crowd of Oath Keepers at a separate event. [69]
In early July 2017, Higgins posted a five-minute video on YouTube from Auschwitz concentration camp, including a section from within one of the gas chambers. He said, "This is why homeland security must be squared away, why our military must be invincible". [70] This video was widely condemned as inappropriate, including by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, whose spokesman wrote in a Twitter post that "the building should not be used as a stage". [71] [72] Higgins later removed the video and issued an apology. [73] [70]
On September 1, 2020, Higgins posted a photograph of protesters at a Black Lives Matter protest in Louisiana, suggesting that armed demonstrators should be met with force to "eliminate the threat". [67] After Facebook deleted the post, Higgins wrote: "We don’t care what color you are. We don’t care if you’re left or right. America is being manipulated into a new era of government control. Your liberty is threatened from within. [...] Welcome to the front lines, Ladies and Gentlemen. I suggest you get your mind right. I'll advise when it's time gear up, mount up, and roll out." This post was deleted for contravening the same policy. [67] [74] [75] [76]
In October of 2022, following a politically motivated attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of then House Speaker Nancy Pelsoi, Higgins mocked the attack and tweeted since deleted conspiracy theories on the incident. [77] [78] [79]
On May 17, 2023, Higgins was recorded shoving, grabbing and moving a protester during an event in Washington DC. [80]
In 2023, following the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump and Walt Nauta, Higgins Tweeted "President Trump said he has been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM. This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this. Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all." Higgins later walked the call back with another Tweet saying "Let Trump handle Trump, he's got this". Higgins’ office issued a statement claiming that the real target of the indictment was not Trump but his supporters, and that the Department of Justice was attempting to provoke January 6-style events in order to provide a pretext to arrest conservatives.
On September 25, 2024, Higgins made a post on X disparaging Haitians, tweeting "Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu [ sic ], nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters... but damned if they don't feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th." The tweet was deleted by Higgins hours later following backlash by both Democrats and Republicans. [83] The Congressional Black Caucus introduced a resolution to censure Higgins for his post, characterizing it as "bigotry and racism". [10]
Personal life
Higgins has been married four times. Higgins first married Eloisa Rovati. They had a daughter together, who died a few months after she was born. Higgins and Rovati later divorced. Rovati alleged that Higgins held a gun to her head and threatened to shoot her during an argument, a claim Higgins has repeatedly denied. [84] Rovati later died in an automobile crash. [7] Higgins then married Rosemary "Stormy" Rothkamm-Hambrice. He adopted her child from a previous marriage, and they had two more children together. [85] They divorced in 1999. [6] [86] [87] Higgins's third wife was Kara Seymour. They also divorced, and Higgins lives in Port Barre, Louisiana, with his fourth wife, Becca. [6]
Rothkamm-Hambrice, then living in Mississippi, filed suit against him the day after the 2016 election for unpaid child support of more than $140,000, including interest on overdue payments. [86] [88] Higgins said that he sought reduced payments in 2005 after changing careers to law enforcement, but the issue was never settled. The Daily Advertiser reported: "Calls about the case made by this newspaper in September, first to the Texas Attorney General's Office, then to Louisiana courts, brought similar responses from both places: Clay Higgins was not in trouble with the courts in either state over the child support payments." [85]
In August 2021, Higgins challenged a critic from Alaska who had called him a "traitor" for voting against certifying the 2020 election results to a physical fight in a ring, saying that he would be in Alaska in 2022; the challenge was accepted but no fight took place. [89]
Higgins is a Protestant. [90]
