Julia Letlow holds Louisiana congressional seat

Republican Julia Letlow will retain her seat as U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 5th congressional district following Tuesday's mid-term election.

Letlow won the election with 65% with 21 of 24 precincts reporting at 8:40 p.m. avoiding a runoff against Oscar Dantzler.

Letlow was first elected to Congress in 2021 following March 20, 2021, special election to fill the seat of her husband, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow when he died of COVID complications after winning the seat on Dec. 5, 2020. She was endorsed by the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump and Louisiana State Senator John Kennedy during her 2021 campaign.

A resident of rural Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, Letlow became 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 issued the following statement after winning re-election to a second term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to continue representing the people of the Fifth District for the next two years," Letlow said. "As I've said from the beginning, this is not my seat, it belongs to the people, and I'm blessed by the overwhelming support that we received in all 24 parishes. When I first ran for Congress, I talked about finding hope after a tragic loss, and his campaign was about how we put that hope into action. I believe that the best days are ahead for our district, our state, and our country. I'm ready to return to Washington and begin working with my Republican colleagues to put forward solutions to our most pressing challenges."

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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Julia Letlow holds Louisiana congressional seat