Congressman-elect dies of COVID complications

Name: WORLD
Price range: $

Luke Letlow during his campaign for Congress Associated Press/Photo by Melinda Deslatte (file)

Congressman-elect dies of COVID complications

Luke Letlow, a Republican recently elected to Congress in a Dec. 5 runoff for Louisiana’s 5th District, died Tuesday of COVID-19 complications at age 41. He was admitted to the hospital in Monroe, La., on Dec. 19 after testing positive for the coronavirus. Doctors eventually transferred him to a larger facility in Shreveport and placed him in intensive care. He had no known underlying health conditions. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

What will happen to Letlow’s seat in Congress? A spokeswoman for Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the governor will call a special election in March to fill the seat. Letlow would have been sworn in on Sunday.

Dig deeper? Read a report by Susan Olasky in WORLD Magazine about other deaths this year.

Timothy Lamer

Tim is executive editor of WORLD Commentary. He previously worked for the Media Research Center in Alexandria, Va. His work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Weekly Standard.