House approves bill to dedicate Louisiana post office in memory of Luke Letlow, COVID-19 victim

The House voted to rename a Louisiana post office after former Rep. Luke Letlow, who died nearly 3 1/2 years ago due to complications caused by COVID-19.

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly, 401-0, to designate the Rayville postal location as the Luke Letlow Post Office Building under a bill sponsored by Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). The bill was co-sponsored by Letlow’s wife, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), who now holds the seat her husband was due to take just five days after his death.

“My late husband dedicated his life to making Louisiana’s 5th District a better place,” Julia Letlow said in a statement. “Luke’s purpose was always driven by people and his passion was public service.

“As someone who deeply loved Richland Parish and spent countless hours learning about its history,” she added, “I know he would consider it the recognition of a lifetime to have the Post Office named in his honor, and our family is so proud to see this fitting memorial to his legacy in the place we call home.”

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Julia Letlow won her late husband’s seat after running in the special election to replace him, garnering a commanding 62% of the vote in a competitive 12-way race. She later won reelection in 2022 with 67.6% of the vote.

Luke Letlow won his election to represent Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District, but he died on Dec. 29, 2020, just five days before he was set to be sworn into office. He died from complications due to COVID-19, according to a statement from his spokesperson at the time.