Official Washington was in mourning on Wednesday after learning that Republican Luke Letlow, a Congressman-elect from Louisiana who was due to take office on Sunday, has died of complications from Covid-19.
He was just 41 and had no known underlying conditions that would have contributed to his death.
Letlow announced on Dec. 18 via Facebook that he was isolating at home after testing positive for the coronavirus.
He was hospitalized a day later in Monroe LA, then transferred to the LSU Health Shreveport medical center. He’d been receiving the anti-viral drug remdesivir and steroids to treat the infection, reports the New York Times, but died Tuesday night.
Letlow leaves behind his wife and two young children. A family spokesperson said they appreciate “the numerous prayers and support over the past days, but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time.”
In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that “our sorrow is compounded by the grief of so many other families who have also suffered lives cut short by this terrible virus. May it be a comfort to Luke’s wife Julia and their children Jeremiah and Jacqueline that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the House minority leader, said Tuesday night that “Our hearts break tonight as we process the news of Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s passing.”
Letlow was the first member or member-elect of Congress to die from the coronavirus, although dozens of lawmakers at both the national and state levels have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past year. President Trump contracted the virus last fall and spent several days in the hospital recovering.
Letlow’s death “is a reminder that despite claims to the contrary, the disease can and does affect young and healthy people,” says Politico. “It’s also a reminder that it is circulating widely pretty much everywhere in America — including at the highest levels of government.”
Letlow had urged residents to follow social distancing guidelines and to listen to doctors.
“But photos on his Twitter page show he had an inconsistent record of wearing masks while campaigning, sometimes covering his face at meet-and-greets but also speaking indoors without a mask on to rooms of mask-free residents,” reports the Washington Post.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff on the day of Letlow’s funeral, which has not yet been announced.
“Louisiana has lost more than 7,300 people to Covid-19 since March, and each one of them leaves a tremendous hole in our state,” Edwards said in a statement.
Letlow had served as chief of staff to Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA), who is retiring; he was elected earlier in December to replace Abraham in Congress.
“Under Louisiana state law, a special election will now take place to elect someone to represent the state’s 5th Congressional District, which Letlow had carried in a runoff election earlier this month with 62% of the vote,” reports CNN. “The district is heavily Republican and encompasses much of eastern Louisiana.”
Here’s more from NBC’s Today:
