Summary
Current Position: US House of Representatives for 5th District since 2021
Affiliation: Republican
Former Position: Academic administrator from 2011 – 2021
District: northern part of Louisiana’s Florida parishes in southeastern Louisiana, taking in Monroe, Alexandria, Amite and Bogalusa.
Upcoming Election:
Letlow worked as director of education and patient safety for Tulane University School of Medicine.[9] In 2018, she was named director of external affairs and strategic communications for the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM).
Letlow’s husband, Luke Letlow died from COVID-19 in December 2020, before taking office. Julia decided to run in the special election for the vacant seat in January 2021.
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News
About
Source: Government page
Congresswoman Julia Letlow represents Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and is the state’s first Republican woman elected to Congress.
Julia took office in April 2021 after receiving 65 percent of the vote in a special election to win the seat previously won by her husband Luke, who passed away from complications of COVID-19 just days before taking office. She is the first woman to represent Louisiana in the House of Representatives in 30 years.
Julia serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Education and Labor.
A native of Monroe, Julia is a mother and professional in education who has dedicated her life to promote and advocate for higher education in Louisiana.
Julia graduated from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM), with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in speech communication. After completing her doctorate in communication from the University of South Florida, she returned to ULM as the ombudsperson and special projects coordinator for the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, where she contributed to the development of the university’s strategic plan.
Julia served as the executive director of external affairs and strategic communications at ULM from 2018 to 2019 and prior served as the director of marketing and communications for the university. She previously served at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans as the director of education, director of resident patient safety and quality improvement, and a clinical instructor of anesthesiology. She has also served as an instructor and teaching associate at ULM, Tulane University, and the University of South Florida.
Julia is raising her two young children in Start, Louisiana, and they worship at Covenant Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Monroe.
Personal
Full Name: Julia Letlow
Gender: Female
Family: Widowed: Luke; 2 children
Birth Date: 03/16/1981
Birth Place: Ouachita Parish, LA
Religion: Presbyterian
Source: Vote Smart
Education
PhD, University of South Florida, 2011
MA, University of Louisiana, 2005
BA, University of Louisiana, 2002
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, Louisiana, District 5, 2021-2022, 2023-present
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Louisiana, District 5, 2021, 2022
Professional Experience
Former Director, Education, Resident Patient Safety, and Quality Improvement/Clinical Instructor, Tulane University
Former Ombudsperson/Special Projects Coordinator/Director, Marketing and Communications/Executive Director, External Affairs and Strategic Communications/Executive Assistant to the President for External Affairs and Community Outreach, University of Louisiana
Offices
Washington DC Office
1408 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-8490
Central Louisiana District Office
4124 Jackson Street
Alexandria, LA 71301
Phone: (318) 319-6465
Northeast Louisiana District Office
1900 North 18th Street, Suite 501
Monroe, LA 71201
Phone: (318) 570-6440
South Louisiana District Office
109 E. Oak Street
Amite, LA 70422
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Election Results
To learn more, go to this wikipedia section in this post.
Finances
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
House Committee on Agriculture
- Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations
- Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research Subcommittee
House Committee on Education and Labor
- Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment
- Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
New Legislation
Issues
Source: Government page
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
Louisiana’s 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The 5th district encompasses rural northeastern Louisiana and much of central Louisiana, as well as the northern part of Louisiana’s Florida parishes in southeastern Louisiana, taking in Monroe, Alexandria, Amite and Bogalusa.
In 2014, Ralph Abraham defeated Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo for the 113th United States Congress, replacing McAllister, who was defeated in the Louisiana primary. On February 26, 2020, Abraham announced he would not be seeking re-election for a fourth term, honoring his pledge to only serve three terms in Congress.[5]
“On November 16, 2013, Republican newcomer Vance McAllister, a businessman from Swartz, Louisiana, handily defeated fellow Republican State Senator Neil Riser of Columbia in Caldwell Parish to claim the seat in a special election. McAllister beat Riser, 54,449 (59.7) to 36,837 (40.3 percent).[6]
Analysts considered McAllister’s victory as a rejection of Jindal’s efforts to have the seat vacated and to replace Alexander with his hand-picked candidate in a low-turnout special election.[7] The runoff turnout was less than 19%, three percent less than in the primary.[8]
The district is currently represented by Republican Julia Letlow, who was elected in a 2021 special election to replace her husband, representative-elect Luke, who died of COVID-19 days before he was set to be sworn in.
Wikipedia
Julia Janelle Letlow (/ˈlɛtloʊ/ LET-loh; née Barnhill; born March 16, 1981) is an American politician and academic administrator serving as the U.S. representative for Louisiana’s 5th congressional district since 2021.[4] Letlow is the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in the House.[5]
Early life and education
Letlow was born Julia Janelle Barnhill on March 16, 1981, in Monroe, Louisiana. She graduated from Ouachita Christian High School.[6] She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in speech communications from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in communications from the University of South Florida in 2012. Her doctoral advisor was Jane Jorgenson. Letlow’s dissertation was titled Giving Meaning to Grief: the Role of Rituals and Stories in Coping with Sudden Family Loss.[7] She dedicated it to her brother, Jeremy, who died in an automobile collision.[8]
Early career
Letlow worked as director of education and patient safety for Tulane University School of Medicine.[9] In 2018, she was named director of external affairs and strategic communications for the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM).[10] In 2020, she was a finalist for the presidency of ULM.[11]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2021 special
Letlow’s husband, Luke Letlow, was elected to the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana’s 5th congressional district in the 2020 elections, but died from COVID-19 in December 2020, before taking office.[12] Julia decided to run in the special election for the vacant seat in January 2021.[13] During her campaign, she secured a number of high-profile endorsements, including one from former President Donald Trump.[14] By the end of February, Letlow had raised $683,000, the most money raised by any candidate in the race.[15] On March 20, she received over 64% of the vote in the nonpartisan blanket primary, winning the election outright and avoiding a runoff. Letlow is the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Louisiana.[16][17]
2022
Letlow won reelection outright in 2022, winning 67% of the vote against three opponents.[18]
Tenure
She was sworn in on April 14.[8] On August 12, 2022, Letlow voted against the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.[19][failed verification]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
Political positions
Immigration
Letlow released a statement criticizing the Biden administration for “immigration detainees being released” in Louisiana, writing, “I join my fellow members of the Louisiana delegation in demanding a thorough and complete explanation of this situation and urge the Administration to stop these releases immediately”.[22]
Infrastructure
In July 2021, Letlow told KNOE-TV that there was “Nothing like a pandemic to bring to light how vital rural broadband is to our district”, and said that rural broadband can provide better access to quality healthcare and education. Of the infrastructure plan proposed by Joe Biden, Letlow said, “You know, it’s the political football…I really want to make sure that that infrastructure bill addresses true infrastructure needs. Roads, bridges, ports, rural broadband. Cut the other part out.”[23]
2020 presidential election
Letlow said she would have joined the majority of Republican representatives in objecting to the results of the 2020 presidential election in Congress, had she been in office at the time.[15]
Education
Letlow authored a Parent’s Bill of Rights that passed the U.S. House in March 2023. The bill would give parents more oversight over what is taught in public schools. It would require school districts to make curricula public, provide parents with information on available library materials, allow parents to address school boards, require public disclosure of school budgets, and require parental consent prior to any physical or mental medical exams taking place at school.[24][25]
Personal life
Letlow met her former husband in high school and they married in 2013.[26][9] She had two children with him.[27] Letlow addressed vaccine hesitancy among Republicans and encouraged them to get the COVID-19 vaccine, invoking her husband’s death from the virus.[28]
Letlow is a Presbyterian.[29]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julia Letlow | 67,203 | 64.86 | |
| Democratic | Sandra “Candy” Christophe | 28,255 | 27.27 | |
| Republican | Chad Conerly | 5,497 | 5.31 | |
| Republican | Robert Lansden | 929 | 0.90 | |
| Republican | Allen Guillory | 464 | 0.45 | |
| Independent | Jim Davis | 402 | 0.39 | |
| Republican | Sancha Smith | 334 | 0.32 | |
| Republican | M.V. “Vinny” Mendoza | 236 | 0.23 | |
| Independent | Jaycee Magnuson | 131 | 0.13 | |
| Republican | Richard H. Pannell | 67 | 0.06 | |
| Republican | Horace Melton III | 62 | 0.06 | |
| Republican | Errol Victor Sr. | 36 | 0.03 | |
| Total votes | 103,616 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julia Letlow (incumbent) | 151,080 | 67.6 | |
| Democratic | Oscar “Omar” Dantzler | 35,149 | 15.7 | |
| Democratic | Walter Earl Huff | 19,383 | 8.7 | |
| Republican | Allen Guillory | 12,159 | 5.4 | |
| Republican | Hunter Pullen | 5,782 | 2.6 | |
| Total votes | 223,553 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Notes
- ^ Letlow’s husband, Luke Letlow, was elected to succeed retiring Representative Ralph Abraham, but died of COVID-19, on December 29, 2020, before taking office.[2] A special election was held on March 20, 2021, and it was won by Letlow.[3]
References
- ^ “Terms of Service for Members of the House of Representatives in the 117th Congress” (PDF). Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ Deslatte, Melinda (December 30, 2020). “Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19”. Associated Press. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Seitz-Wald, Alex (March 20, 2021). “Republican Julia Letlow wins special congressional election in Louisiana, NBC News projects”. NBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
- ^ Seitz-Wald, Alex (March 20, 2021). “Republican Julia Letlow wins special congressional election in Louisiana, NBC News projects”. NBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
- ^ Adam Levy and Ethan Cohen (March 21, 2021). “Julia Letlow makes history in Louisiana’s 5th District special election while 2nd District goes to runoff”. CNN. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Bridges, Tyler (March 15, 2021). “Julia Letlow, picking up torch from her late husband, is favored to win congressional race”. The Advocate. Georges Media. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ Barnhill, Julia Janelle (2011). Giving Meaning to Grief: the Role of Rituals and Stories in Coping with Sudden Family Loss (Ph.D. thesis). University of South Florida. OCLC 778367257.
- ^ a b Fram, Alan (April 14, 2021). “Louisiana congresswoman Julia Letlow takes office, replacing late husband”. The Advocate. Associated Press. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ a b “Barnhill – Letlow”. The News-Star. Monroe, Louisiana. March 24, 2013. p. 44. Retrieved March 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
. - ^ “Letlow named director of external affairs and strategic communications at ULM”. The News-Star. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ “Seven candidates in the running for ULM president”. The News-Star. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ “Luke Letlow’s family talks about the congressman-elect’s COVID death”. The News-Star. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ “Julia Letlow, widow of U.S. Rep-elect Luke Letlow, to run for Congress”. The News-Star. December 30, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ Axelrod, Tal (March 20, 2021). “Trump boosts Julia Letlow ahead of Louisiana special election”. The Hill. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ a b Pathe, Simone (March 19, 2021). “Running to replace husband who died from Covid-19, Julia Letlow hopes to bring her own experience to Congress”. CNN. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ a b “U. S. Representative – 5th Congressional District”. Louisiana Secretary of State. March 20, 2021.
- ^ “Louisiana Primary Election Results 2021”. New York Times. March 20, 2021.
- ^ “Louisiana Fifth Congressional District Election Results”. The New York Times. November 8, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Tran, Candy Woodall, Katherine Swartz and Kenneth. “House passes Inflation Reduction Act, sends it to Biden”. USA TODAY. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Johnson, My Sherie (May 11, 2022). “Louisiana Congresswoman Julia Letlow fills seat on United States House Committee on Appropriations”. WGNO. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ “About Us”. www.ccainstitute.org.
- ^ Thompkins, Jarmarlon (July 21, 2021). “Congresswoman Julia Letlow gives statement on ICE releases”. KNOE-TV. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ Englander, Tyler (July 7, 2021). “Rep. Letlow talks rural broadband needs, infrastructure bill, COVID vaccine”. KNOE-TV. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ Ballard, Mark (March 24, 2023). “Julia Letlow’s Parents Bill of Rights narrowly clears the U.S. House”. NOLA.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Hilburn, Greg (March 24, 2023). “Louisiana Congresswoman Julia Letlow’s Parents Bill of Rights clears House”. The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ “Family obituary for Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, who died from COVID complications”. The News-Star. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Sentell, Will (January 21, 2021). “Luke Letlow’s widow, Julia, files for his U.S. House seat after his death from coronavirus”. The Advocate. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ Main, Alison; Kelly, Caroline (March 28, 2021). “‘Look at my family. Use my story’: Rep.-elect Julia Letlow urges Republicans to get Covid vaccine after husband’s death”. CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ “Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress” (PDF). PEW Research Center. December 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ “2022 Official Election Results”. Secretary of State of Louisiana. November 8, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
External links
- Representative Julia Letlow official U.S. House website
- Representative Julia Letlow Campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Julia Letlow at IMDb
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- ^ Luke Letlow was voted in the 2020 general election, but died before the beginning of the Congressional term.
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