BATON ROUGE, La. — Luke Letlow, who was to have been Louisiana’s newest Republican member of the U.S. House, has died from complications related to COVID-19 only days before being sworn into office. He was 41.
Letlow spokesman Andrew Bautsch confirmed the congressman-elect’s death Tuesday at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport. The spokesman says that “the family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days.”
Letlow had won a December runoff election and was set to take office in January. He was admitted to a Monroe hospital on Dec. 19 after testing positive for the coronavirus. He was later transferred to the Shreveport medical center and placed in intensive care.
Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Barnhill Letlow, and two children.
___
THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— 91-year-old Margaret Keenan, gets 2nd shot after 1st Brit to get vaccine
— Alabama cases surge, ICUs 91% full last week