Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat

Julia Letlow will run in the special election to fill the congressional seat left vacant after her husband, Rep.-elect Luke Letlow (R-La.), passed away in December due to COVID-19 complications.

The big picture: Luke Letlow, 41, was elected in a Dec. 5 runoff to replace outgoing Rep. Ralph Abraham, for whom he'd previously worked as chief of staff. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) has called for a special election on March 20 to fill the seat.

What they're saying: "My motivation is the passion Luke and I both shared: to better this region that we called home and to leave it a better place for our children and future generations," Letlow said in a statement.

• "I am running to continue the mission Luke started — to stand up for our Christian values, to fight for our rural agricultural communities and to deliver real results to move our state forward."