Republican Julie Letlow won a Louisiana congressional seat in a special election on Saturday, after her husband won the seat last year but died of complications from the coronavirus before he could take office.
Former President Donald Trump, who had endorsed the widow, congratulated her on Sunday.
“Congratulations to Julia Letlow on her BIG win in Louisiana! Despite running in a field with a dozen candidates, a second round is not necessary because she received 65% of the votes, an incredible victory, “Trump said in a statement issued by his office.
“I am excited for Julia and the entire Letlow family. Luke looks down proudly from above, ”he said.
The former president announced his support for Letlow last week, praising her for her pro-life stance and for being “strong on crime, the border, loves our military, our veterinarians and will always protect our beloved Second Amendment.”
Luke Letlow, 41, won a runoff on December 5 and announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks later.
He died of complications from the coronavirus on December 29 while in intensive care at Ochsner LSU Health in Shreveport.
Julia Letlow defeated 11 rivals in special elections for the congressional seat.
“This is an incredible moment and it is really difficult to put into words. What was born out of the terrible tragedy of losing my husband, Luke, has become my mission in his honor to carry the torch and serve the good people of Louisiana’s Fifth Ward, ”she said in a statement.
With her victory, Julia Letlow became the third woman elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives.
He had the backing of Trump in the red light district, as well as the support of the state Republican Party and Republican Representatives Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Minority Leader, and Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the second Republican in the House. .
She also had a huge fundraising advantage.
It was his first run for office.
In another highly-watched race in Louisiana, two Democratic state senators from New Orleans will compete in a runoff on April 24 to fill the seat of former Representative Cedric Richmond, who left office to fill a position in the Biden administration.
Troy Carter and Karen Carter Peterson led the field of 15 candidates.
With cable poles