Senators Royce Duplessis and Caleb Kleinpeter were officially sworn in this week. Senator Duplessis, a former state representative, won in a special election after former Senator Karen Carter Peterson resigned last year. Because he is filling the final year of Peterson’s seat, Duplessis will have to run for re-election this year in Senate District 5.

Caleb Seth Kleinpeter, a first-term West Baton Rouge Parish councilman, won a seat previously held by a fellow parish resident, former Senator Rick Ward. Kleinpeter, a Republican from Brusly, defeated state Rep. Jeremy LaCombe, D-New Roads, and Dr. Kirk Rousset, a Republican from Oscar. Kleinpeter is a pipeline technician with Enterprise Pipeline who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the U.S. Marine Corps. Ward relinquished the seat after he accepted a job in the private sector.