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[a]
Personal details
Born
Julia Janelle Barnhill

(1981-03-16) March 16, 1981
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.[2] Letlow is the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in the House.[3] She is currently the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in the 2026 election.[4]

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.[5]

Early life

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.[7]

Academic career

Letlow worked as director of education and patient safety for Tulane University School of Medicine.[8] In 2018, she was named director of external affairs and strategic communications for the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM).[9] In 2020, she was a possible candidate to become president of ULM.[10][11]

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.[12] Julia decided to run in the special election for the empty seat in January 2021.[13] On March 20, she received over 64% of the vote in the nonpartisan blanket primary, winning the election and avoiding a runoff.[14] Letlow is the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Louisiana.[15][16] 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.[17]

Letlow won re-election in 2022, winning 67% of the vote.[18] She won re-election in Louisiana's November 5, 2024, primary with 62.9% of the vote.[19]

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.[4] 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.[20] Letlow would beat Fleming in the run-off primary in June 2026 and became the Republican nominee for the Senate.[21]

Personal life

Letlow met Luke Letlow in high school, and years later, they married in 2013.[22] They had two children together before his death in 2020.[23] In 2025, Letlow announced her engagement to Kevin Ainsworth, a lawyer and lobbyist from Baton Rouge.[24]

Letlow is a Presbyterian.[25]

Notes

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

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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