Luke Letlow, a Republican elected to the House of Representatives this month to represent Louisiana’s Fifth Congressional District, died Tuesday night of complications from Covid-19, a spokesman said. He was 41 years old.
Mr. Letlow was due to take office on Sunday. His death was confirmed by several politicians, including Louisiana representative Garret Graves, who said in a Facebook post that the death of his friend and “former employee” was “a great loss to Louisiana and America.” Mr Letlow died at the Ochsner LSU Health Hospital in Shreveport, La., Said spokesman Andrew Bautsch.
Mr Letlow said on Dec. 18 that he was isolating at home after testing positive for the coronavirus. He was later hospitalized in Monroe, La., Before being taken to the Shreveport hospital, Mr Bautsch said on Dec. Mr Letlow was given the antiviral drug remdesivir and steroids to treat his infection, Mr Bautsch said.
On December 21, when he was hospitalized in Monroe, Mr Letlow urged people who had recovered from Covid-19 to donate their plasma. “Your plasma is especially needed by those who suffer,” he wrote in a tweet. “I cannot stress this enough. Please remember to save lives by going out and donating at your local blood bank. ”
Dr. GE Ghali, a doctor at Shreveport Hospital, told The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La that he had no underlying medical conditions that would have increased his chances of dying from Covid-19.
Mr. Letlow was elected to replace Rep. Ralph Abraham, whom Mr. Letlow had appointed as chief of staff, in a runoff against another Republican earlier this month.
Mr. Letlow is survived by his wife Julia and their two children Jeremiah and Jacqueline.
Spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi said in a statement: “Tonight the United States House of Representatives is sadly mourning the death of Congressman-elect Luke Letlow.
“Congressman-elect Letlow was a ninth generation Louisian who fought passionately for his point of view and dedicated his life to public service,” she said.
Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, said: “Our hearts break tonight as we process the news of the death of Congressman-elect Luke Letlow.”
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Tuesday evening that Covid-19 had “taken Congressman-elect Letlow from us far too soon”. Mr. Edwards, a Democrat, said he had ordered flags to be hoisted halfway on the day of Mr. Letlow’s funeral.
Representative Mike Johnson, a Republican who represents the state’s fourth congressional district, made a statement on behalf of the state’s six-member Congressional delegation: “We are devastated to hear of Luke Letlow’s death. Luke had such a positive mind and he had an incredibly bright future ahead of him. He looked forward to serving the people of Louisiana in Congress, and we were happy to see him join our delegation where he was ready to make an even greater impact on our state and nation. “
Bobby Jindal, the former Louisiana governor for whom Mr Letlow previously worked when Mr Jindal was a Congressional candidate, agent and governor, said the congressman-elect had “spoken in recent days about his excitement over the opportunity to serve him “Circle.
“I first met Luke when he was a student and spent countless hours with him in his truck driving the back streets of Louisiana,” said Jindal. “His passion for service has been constant throughout his life.”
Ballotopedia says Mr Letlow is the first federal elected official to die of Covid. The first member of the federal government to die from it was a judge.
Other elected officials to die from Covid include multiple lawmakers: a Republican Senator from Minnesota, New Hampshire’s new Republican House Speaker, and in North Dakota, David Dean Andahl, a Republican named “Dakota Dave” posthumously elected to the House after he died from the virus.
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