Democrat · Louisiana's 6th District · 2026
Pat Forbes
Forbes worked at a paper mill and ran his own engineering business before spending two decades helping Louisiana recover from hurricanes and floods.
Biography
Before a career in disaster recovery, Pat Forbes worked at Georgia Pacific's Port Hudson paper mill, operated his own company and worked as a consulting environmental engineer.1 He earned a mechanical engineering degree and an MBA from LSU.1 His campaign now centers on the household costs of insurance, electricity, housing and healthcare.2
Forbes served as an engineer in the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities before Hurricane Katrina and later managed infrastructure work at the Louisiana Recovery Authority.1 As executive director of Louisiana's Office of Community Development, he oversaw federally funded Community Development Block Grant recovery programs.31
That portfolio included housing, economic development and infrastructure recovery following hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike and Isaac, and the 2016 floods.1 His campaign describes 20 years working on Louisiana's recovery from disasters.4 For Congress, he proposes more investment in flood protection, stronger roofs and other measures intended to reduce storm losses.2
Forbes also calls for greater disclosure in insurance rate filings and says data center companies should pay for the power infrastructure built to serve them.2 He supports stronger rules against price fixing and opposes the administration's tariffs.2 His campaign also supports greater public scrutiny of major projects' water use and local hiring commitments.2 His opponents include Blake Miguez and Lindsay Garcia.5
Record and controversies
Road Home grant collection lawsuits
The office Forbes led oversaw Road Home while Louisiana sued recipients who had used elevation grants for repairs instead of raising their homes.6 Homeowners said program representatives had told them repairs were allowed.6 The report quoted Forbes saying he had no reason to believe state attorneys had threatened homeowners with loss of their properties.6 In February 2023, HUD announced an agreement to free 3,300 recipients from repayment obligations, with release of unpaid judgments and payment plans contingent on state compliance with corrective action.7