Julia Janelle Letlow (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Barnhill; born March 16, 1981) is an American politician and academic administrator serving as the U.S. representative for

Louisiana's 5th congressional district 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 paris ...

since 2021. Letlow is the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in the House.

Early life and education

Letlow was born Julia Janelle Barnhill on March 16, 1981, in

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropol ...

. She graduated from Ouachita Christian High School. She earned her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in speech communications from the

University of Louisiana at Monroe The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Ce ...

, followed by a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in communications from the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

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''. She dedicated it to her brother, Jeremy, who died in an automobile collision.

Early career

Letlow worked as director of education and patient safety for

Tulane University School of Medicine The Tulane University School of Medicine is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States and is a part of Tulane University. The school is located in the Medical District of the New Orleans Central Business District. History The school was ...

. In 2018, she was named director of external affairs and strategic communications for the

(ULM). In 2020, she was a finalist for the presidency of ULM.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2021 Special

Letlow's husband, Luke Letlow, was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

for in the

2020 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

, but died of complications from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

infection in December 2020, before taking office. Julia decided to run in the

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

for the vacant seat in January 2021. During her campaign, she secured a number of high-profile endorsements, including one from former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

. By the end of February, Letlow had raised $683,000, the most money raised by any candidate in the race. On March 20, she received over 64% of the vote in the

nonpartisan blanket primary A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of the political party. Partisan elections are, on the other hand, segregated by political party. ...

, winning the election outright and avoiding a runoff. Letlow is the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Louisiana.

Tenure

She was sworn in on April 14. On August 12, 2022, Letlow voted against the

Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is a landmark United States federal law which aims to curb inflation by reducing the deficit, lowering prescription drug prices, and investing into domestic energy production while promoting clean ener ...

Committee assignments

* Committee on Appropriations ** Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies ** Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Political positions

Immigration

Letlow released a statement criticizing the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat from Delaw ...

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".

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. ''KNOE'' wrote that Letlow still did not commit to supporting the infrastructure plan proposed by Joe Biden, with Letlow arguing that "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."

2020 presidential election

Letlow said she would have joined the majority of Republican representatives in objecting the results of the 2020 presidential election in Congress, had she been in office at the time.

Personal life

Letlow met her former husband in high school and they married in 2013. She had two children with him. Letlow addressed

vaccine hesitancy Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services and supporting evidence. The term covers refusals to vaccinate, delaying vaccines, accepting vaccines but remaining uncertain abou ...

among Republicans and encouraged them to get the

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an est ...

, invoking her husband's death from the virus.

Electoral history

Notes

References

External links

Representative Julia Letlow
official U.S. House website
Representative Julia Letlow
Campaign website * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Letlow, Julia 1981 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American academic administrators Female members of the United States House of Representatives Living people Politicians from Monroe, Louisiana Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana University of Louisiana at Monroe alumni University of South Florida alumni Women academic administrators Women in Louisiana politics