After husband Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19, Louisiana sends Julia Letlow to Congress
Julia Letlow, a Republican, will win a special election in Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District for the CNN projects.
She will make history as the state’s first female Republican representative in Congress.
Julia Letlow, a Republican, won a landslide victory in the Louisiana 5th congressional district election on Saturday, less than three months after her late husband, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, died of COVID complications before his election.
Letlow, who lives in rural Richland Parish in North East Louisiana, is the first woman to represent Louisiana in Congress in more than six years.
She is also the first Republican woman to ever represent Louisiana in Congress.
Letlow is expected to win the primary election on Saturday with 65 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff against Alexandria Democrat Sandra “Candy” Christophe, who came in second with 27 percent.
In a runoff election in December, Luke Letlow defeated Republican Rep. Lance Harris of Alexandria for the seat.
Luke Letlow, however, signed up for COVID-19 shortly after his victory and died on December 29.
Julia Letlow, the executive director of the University of Louisiana in Monroe, announced on January 14 that she would pick up the torch and run for the seat.
“Everything has led up to this point in my life and marriage,” she explained later. “My motivation stems from a shared passion between Luke and me: to improve the community in which we both grew up and to leave it to our children and future generations.”
Julia, 41, is the mother of the couple’s two young children, Jeremiah, three, and Jacqueline, one.
She replaces former Republican Rep. Ralph Abraham, who did not seek re-election after serving his three-term term commitment. Abraham’s chief of staff was named Luke Letlow. Both Luke and Julia were supported by Abraham in their seat offers.
When Julia Letlow announced her candidacy, she received support from the vast majority of the state’s most powerful Republicans, including former President Donald Trump.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @njtofficial. To get latest updates
