Congressman-elect dies of complications fromcoronavirus

Luke BATON ROUGE, LA. — Letlow, Louisiana’s incoming Republican member of the U.S. House, died Tuesday night from complications related to COVID-19 only days before he would have been sworn into offiffice. He was 41.

LetlowspokesmanAndrew Bautsch confifirmed the congressmandeath at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport. Louisiana’s eight-member congressional delegation called Letlow’s death devastating.

The state’s newest congressman, set to take offiffice in January, was admitted to a Monroe hospital on Dec. 19 after testing positive for the coronavirus. Hewas later transferred to the Shreveport facility and placed in intensive care.

LSU Health Shreveport Chancellor Dr. G.E. Ghali confirmed Letlow underwent an operation related to the virus and later went into cardiac arrest.

Letlow, f rom the small town of Start in Richland Parish, was elected in a December runoffff election for the sprawling 5th District U.S. House seat representing central andnortheasternregions of the state, including the city of Monroe.

Hewas tofifill the seat being vacatedbyhis boss, Republican Ralph Abraham. Letlow had been Abraham’s chief of staffff and ran with Abraham’s backing for the job.

Gov. John Bel Edwards urged people to pray for Letlow’s family.

“COVID-19 has taken Congressmanelect Letlowfrom us far too soon,” the Democratic governor said in a statement.

Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Barnhill Letlow, and two children.