Julia Letlow Wins Historic US House Race in Louisiana

To the surprise of just about no one in Louisiana, Julia Letlow on Saturday handily won the special election to fill the seat her late husband Luke was poised to represent in Congress until his death from COVID-19 last year.

With near final returns in, Letlow, 41, rolled up 63.6 percent of the vote and is expected to be sworn into Congress next week.

Her election from Louisiana’s 5th District (Shreveport) is historic. Although widows of U.S. Representatives have been, far more often than not, succeeding their husbands since Republican Mae Ella Nolan won a special election for the California seat of her late husband John in 1921, Julia Letlow is the first widow of a U.S. Representative-elect to go to Congress.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy issued the following statement regarding Louisiana's 5th Congressional District special election:

“Congratulations to Julia Letlow on her election to Congress from Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District," McCarthy wrote. "Julia offered a message that united Louisiana voters and defied predictions by winning this special election outright with a clear majority — a remarkable accomplishment among a field of 12 candidates.

“As Julia succeeds her late husband and our friend, Luke, we look forward to welcoming her to Congress, where her expertise in higher education will help us continue to deliver solutions for America.”

Soon after winning the seat last year of his old boss Republican Rep. Ralph Abraham, Luke Letlow contracted COVID-19. On Dec. 29, four days before he was to be sworn into office, Letlow died of complications from the virus at age 41.

Julie Barnhill Letlow, also 41, is considered a strong conservative in the mold of her late husband and ran proudly with the strong endorsement of Donald Trump.

A Ph.D, she served as executive assistant to the president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe and was herself a finalist for the university presidency.

Writing of his wife on Facebook, Letlow said “Anyone who truly knows my wife knows that her determination is a force to be reckoned with, her vision is inspiring, and her passion is contagious.”

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.