Former Louisiana Senator J. Bennett Johnston dead at 92

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Longtime Louisiana Senator J. Bennett Johnston has died at the age of 92.

Johnston was elected to the Senate as a moderate Democrat in 1972, and he served four terms until he retired in 1997.

Before his time in Washington, he served as a state representative and state senator.

"Bennett Johnston was a giant, in not just Louisiana politics, but national politics. There were few like him, and he will be deeply missed," said Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.