Julia Letlow

Julia Letlow
Official portrait, 2021
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana's 5th district
Assumed office
April 14, 2021
Preceded byRalph Abraham
Personal details
Born
Julia Janelle Barnhill

(1981-03-16) March 16, 1981 (age 45)
Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2013; died 2020)​
Domestic partnerKevin Ainsworth (engaged since 2025)
Children2
EducationUniversity of Louisiana, Monroe (BA, MA)
University of South Florida (PhD)
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website

Julia Janelle Letlow (née Barnhill; born March 16, 1981) is an American politician and academic administrator. She is the United States representative of Louisiana's 5th congressional district since April 14, 2021. Letlow is the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in the House. She is currently the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in the 2026 election.

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 before taking office.

Early life

Letlow was born Julia Janelle Barnhill on March 16, 1981, in Monroe, Louisiana. She graduated from Ouachita Christian High School. 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.

Academic career

Letlow worked as director of education and patient safety for Tulane University School of Medicine. In 2018, she was named director of external affairs and strategic communications for the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). In 2020, she was a possible candidate to become president of ULM.

U.S. House of Representatives

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. Julia decided to run in the special election for the empty seat in January 2021. On March 20, she received over 64% of the vote in the nonpartisan blanket primary, winning the election and avoiding a runoff. Letlow is the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Louisiana. She was sworn in on April 14, 2021.

On January 3, 2025, Letlow voted for Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House in the 119th Congress.

Letlow won re-election in 2022, winning 67% of the vote. She won re-election in Louisiana's November 5, 2024, primary with 62.9% of the vote.

2026 U.S. Senate campaign

In January 2026, Letlow announced that she would run for the U.S. Senate in 2026, challenging Republican incumbent Bill Cassidy. In the May primary, Letlow came in first place, winning 44% of the vote. She advanced to the run off against State Treasurer John C. Fleming. Letlow would beat Fleming in the run-off primary in June 2026 and became the Republican nominee for the Senate.

Personal life

Letlow met Luke Letlow in high school, and years later, they married in 2013. They had two children together before his death in 2020. In 2025, Letlow announced her engagement to Kevin Ainsworth, a lawyer and lobbyist from Baton Rouge.

Letlow is a Presbyterian.

Notes

  1. ↑ Letlow's husband, Luke Letlow, was elected to succeed retiring Abraham but died before taking office on December 29, 2020.

References

  1. ↑ Deslatte, Melinda (December 30, 2020). "Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19". Associated Press. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ Seitz-Wald, Alex (20 March 2021). "Republican Julia Letlow wins special congressional election in Louisiana, NBC News projects". NBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 Howard, Andrew; Doherty, Erin; Lee Hill, Meredith (January 20, 2026). "Letlow launches Trump-backed Senate bid against Cassidy". Politico. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Luke Letlow's family talks about the congressman-elect's COVID death". The News-Star. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "Barnhill – Letlow". The News-Star. Monroe, Louisiana. March 24, 2013. p. 44. Retrieved March 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com open access publication – free to read.
  9. ↑ "Letlow named director of external affairs and strategic communications at ULM". The News-Star. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Seven candidates in the running for ULM president". The News-Star. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Seven semifinalists set in University of Louisiana Monroe search". Associated Press. May 18, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Luke Letlow's family talks about the congressman-elect's COVID death". The News-Star. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Julia Letlow, widow of U.S. Rep-elect Luke Letlow, to run for Congress". The News-Star. December 30, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  14. ↑ Seitz-Wald, Alex (March 20, 2021). "Republican Julia Letlow wins special congressional election in Louisiana, NBC News projects". NBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  15. ↑ "U. S. Representative – 5th Congressional District". Louisiana Secretary of State. March 20, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Louisiana Primary Election Results 2021". New York Times. March 20, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Roll Call 2 — Election of the Speaker, January 3, 2025". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Louisiana Fifth Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Louisiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2024". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  20. ↑ Shapero, Julia (May 16, 2026). "Cassidy knocked out of Louisiana GOP primary as Letlow, Fleming advance". The Hill. Retrieved May 16, 2026. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) failed to secure a spot in the upcoming runoff election, finishing third behind Rep. Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming in the state's Republican primary.
  21. ↑ Balk, Tim; Davies, Emily (2026-06-28). "Julia Letlow, Lifted by Trump, Wins Republican Senate Runoff in Louisiana". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
  22. ↑ "Family obituary for Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, who died from COVID complications". The News-Star. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ https://www.nola.com/news/politics/julia-letlow-engaged-white-house/article_11f9826f-48eb-429e-8c24-f21e3a62202e.html
  25. ↑ "Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress" (PDF). PEW Research Center. December 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2023.

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