Julia Letlow
| Julia Janelle Barnhill Letlow | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office April 14, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ralph Abraham |
|---|---|
| Born | March 16, 1981 Monroe, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Widow of Luke Letlow (married 2013–2020, his death) |
| Children | Jeremiah John Letlow Jacqueline Taylor Letlow |
| Alma mater | Ouachita Christian High School (Monroe) University of South Florida |
| Religion | Evangelical Presbyterian |
Julia Janelle Barnhill Letlow (born March 16, 1981) is the Republican U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 5th congressional district, anchored in Ouachita, Rapides, and the Florida parishes. She succeeded her late husband, Luke Letlow, who won the House seat in a runoff election on December 6, 2020. Three weeks later Letlow died of a heart attack stemming from complications of the coronavirus. He was to have been sworn into office five days after his death.
Mrs. Letlow defeated a 12-candidate field by a wide margin with nearly two-thirds of the votes cast in a low turnout election. She led in twenty-three of the twenty-four parishes in the district, falling short only in East Feliciana Parish. She led even in the heavily African American and Democratic parishes of East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas. In second place was the only Democrat in the race, Sandra "Candy" Christophe of Alexandria, who had also sought the seat in the general election held on November 3, 2020. In a weak third place was the Republican Chad Louis Conerly (born 1966) of Kentwood in Washington Parish, a veteran of the United States Air Force in the Iraq War. With all of the 825 precincts in the district reporting, Letlow polled 67,199 votes (65 percent); Christophe, 28,252 (27 percent), and Conerly, 5,497 (5 percent).[1]
She resides in Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish Her two children are Jacqueline Taylor Letlow (born 2017) and Jeremiah John Letlow (born 2019). Prior to her congressional race, Julia was an administrator at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She is an Evangelical Presbyterian.
Ten days before her election Julia Letlow was endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump.[2] She also carried the backing of previous U.S. Representative, Ralph Abraham, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2019 against fellow Republican Eddie Rispone and Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards.
A few days prior to the election, a caller to The Moon Griffon Show radio broadcast cast doubt on Mrs. Letlow's conservative credentials[3] after she declared in January 2021 that there was no evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.[4]
References
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 20, 2021.
- ↑ Two references:
- Emily Jacobs (March 11, 2021). Trump endorses Rep.-elect Luke Letlow's widow for House seat. The New York Post.
- Coleman, Justine (March 10, 2021). Trump endorses widow of Rep.-elect Luke Letlow in Louisiana House race. The Hill. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ↑ The Moon Griffon Show, March 16, 2021.
- ↑ Deslatte, Melinda (January 21, 2021). Widow of Louisiana congressman-elect qualifies for election. Associated Press. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
External links
- Official Website
- Profile at Ballotpedia
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