Julia Letlow is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Louisiana and the U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 5th District, elected in a March 2021 special election after the death of her husband, Luke Letlow, who had won the seat. A former university administrator and educator, she has President Trump's endorsement.[1][2][3] Her campaign website says she has fought for parents, students, farmers, law enforcement and Louisiana families.[1]
Letlow was born Julia Barnhill on March 16, 1981, in Monroe, Louisiana, and graduated from Ouachita Christian High School.[2][4] She earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in speech communication from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) and a doctorate in communication from the University of South Florida, which Ballotpedia dates to 2011.[2][3] She worked at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans as director of education, director of resident patient safety and quality improvement, and a clinical instructor of anesthesiology, and served as an instructor and teaching associate at ULM, Tulane and the University of South Florida.[2] She returned to ULM as ombudsperson and special projects coordinator for the Provost, then served as director of marketing and communications and, from 2018 to 2019, as executive director of external affairs and strategic communications.[2]
Letlow's husband, Luke Letlow, won the 2020 election for the 5th District seat but died of complications of COVID-19 just days before taking office.[2] She won the March 20, 2021 special election with about 65 percent of the vote and took office in April 2021; her House biography describes her as the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Louisiana.[2][3] She was re-elected in 2022 with 67.6% of the vote and in 2024 with 62.9%.[3] She authored the Parents Bill of Rights (H.R. 5), which passed the House on March 24, 2023.[4] She serves on the House Committee on Appropriations, including the subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and National Security and the Department of State, and on the Committee on Education and the Workforce.[2]
Letlow announced her U.S. Senate candidacy on January 20, 2026.[4] In the May 16, 2026 Republican primary for the Senate, Letlow finished first with 44.8% of the vote, ahead of John Fleming (28.3%) and incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy (24.8%).[3] She defeated state Treasurer John Fleming in the June 27, 2026 runoff, 56.9% to 43.1%.[3][4] Her House biography says she is the mother of two children.[2]
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
