Julia Letlow

Julia Janelle Letlow is a Republican politician and academic administrator representing Louisiana's 5th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana, she earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in speech communications from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, followed by a PhD in communications from the University of South Florida. Prior to her political career, Letlow held several administrative roles in higher education, including serving as the executive director of external affairs and strategic communications at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and as a director at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Letlow was first elected to Congress in a special election held in March 2021, winning the seat with approximately 65% of the vote. She ran for the position following the death of her husband, Luke Letlow, who passed away from complications of COVID-19 just days before he was scheduled to be sworn into the same seat. Her victory made her the first Republican woman ever elected to represent Louisiana in the House of Representatives. In Congress, she serves on the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where she has focused on securing federal funding for infrastructure and workforce development in her district.

Congresswoman Letlow holds conservative positions across a range of policy areas. On immigration, she advocates for completing the border wall, ending catch-and-release policies, and implementing nationwide E-Verify. Her economic platform emphasizes permanently extending the 2017 tax cuts, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, and reducing government spending to combat inflation. In education, she authored the "Parents' Bill of Rights Act" to increase transparency in school curricula and expand parental oversight. She also supports the Second Amendment, is an advocate for the agricultural industry—specifically regarding crop insurance and rural broadband—and focuses on rooting out fraud within the healthcare system while promoting American medical innovation.