Republican Congressman Luke Letlow, 41, dies from Covid-19
Pollemix News – December 30, 2020
Incoming Louisiana Congressman Luke Letlow tragically passed away on Tuesday at only 41 years old from complications related to Covid-19, just days before he was due to be sworn in to office. Letlow was first hospitalized on December 19 at St Francis Hospital in Monroe but was then transferred to LSU Health Shreveport Academic Medical Center as his condition deteriorated.
The married father of two was treated with Remdesivir and steroids, the same regimen administered to President Trump upon his Covid diagnosis, but sadly was unable to recover. Consulting LSU Shrevesport physician Dr. G.E. Ghali said the freshman congressman died of a heart attack spurred by the infection, “It’s devastating to our entire team. He had no underlying conditions. It was just COVID.”
Letlow, a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, won Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District with a landslide 62% of the vote and was originally set to be sworn in on Sunday. Before seeking office he was heavily involved in Republican politics, interning for Dr John Cooksey who was a three-term Congressman for the same 5th District that Letlow was due to be seated before his untimely death. More recently he worked as a senior staffer for Bobby Jindal who was Louisiana Governor from 2008 to 2016.
Tributes flowed in for the married father of two from both sides of the aisle following the tragic announcement. Letlow’s former boss Bobby Jindal tweeted his condolences:
Congressional district, and his love and devotion for Julia and their kids. I first met Luke when he was still a college student, and spent countless hours with him in his truck driving the back roads of Louisiana. His passion for service has been a constant throughout his life.
— Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) December 30, 2020
House Minority Leader, for whom Letlow would have been working under as a freshman Republican congressman, echoed Jindal’s sentiments:
Our hearts break tonight as we process the news of Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s passing.
I spoke with his wife, Julia. Judy and I are praying for her and their two young children during this terrible time.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) December 30, 2020
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also issued a statement expressing her sympathy, “May it be a comfort to Luke’s wife Julia and their children Jeremiah and Jacqueline that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.”
Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Barnhill Letlow, and their two children – Jeremiah, 3, and Jacqueline, 11 months. He is the first member or member-elect of Congress to die from Covid-19.
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