Letlow Wins Congressional Seat Of Husband Who Died Of COVID-19

Julia Letlow, widow of Republican U.S. Rep.-elect Luke Letlow

Luke Letlow won the election for the 5th District of Louisana in a December 2020 runoff but died of COVID-19 before he was sworn in

Julia Letlow, who made history on Saturday as the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Louisiana, didn’t expect to be on a ballot this weekend. Three and half months ago, her husband had won the election for Louisiana’s 5th District in an early December runoff.

But he never made it to Congress, dying from complications of Covid-19 before he was sworn in.

Read also: Rihanna Gets Heartbroken After She Saw The Tragedy That Happened In Atlanta

Letlow, a university administrator who wrote a doctoral dissertation on grief, had to make a quick decision. She jumped into the race in mid-January after the governor called a special election to replace her husband, the late Rep.-elect, Luke Letlow.

Luke Letlow

The first-time candidate had the advantage of a campaign team already in place, and she avoided a runoff by securing a majority of the vote among the 12-person field on Saturday, which means she’ll soon bolster the already record-breaking 30 Republican women in the House this year.

“It’s definitely different being the candidate than it is the spouse, but nothing that I wasn’t used to already,” Letlow told CNN in an interview before her victory.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE