# 2021 Louisiana's 5th congressional district special election

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The 2021 Louisiana's 5th congressional district special election was held on March 20, 2021. It was triggered by the death of Republican congressman-elect Luke Letlow on December 29, 2020, who died from a heart attack while being treated for COVID-19.
When congressional seats in Louisiana become vacant, the Governor may call a special election at any time. The special election to fill Louisiana's 5th congressional district took place on March 20, 2021, as stated by Governor John Bel Edwards's office. Luke Letlow's widow, Julia Letlow, won the election with more than 64 percent of the vote.
It was one of two special elections to the House of Representatives held in Louisiana, along with the election to the 2nd district, which was held on the same day.

## Background
### Congressional district

Louisiana's 5th congressional district includes all or part of Avoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Franklin, Jackson, La Salle Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Rapides, Richland, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Washington, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn parishes. Traditionally conservative, the district has been considered a safe seat for Republicans since Rodney Alexander changed his party affiliation in 2004. Although the Democratic Party had an enrollment advantage of 26,719 at the time of the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump won over 64 percent of the district's vote.

### 2020 election and Letlow's death

In February 2020, Ralph Abraham, who had been serving as the district's U.S. Representative since 2015, announced that he would not run for re-election. Abraham's former chief of staff, Luke Letlow, announced his candidacy in the congressional election shortly thereafter, with Abraham publicly endorsing him. Letlow was an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, and he publicly praised his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the jungle primary on November 3, Letlow won the most votes, but he was unable to secure a majority, triggering a runoff election against runner-up Lance Harris. Letlow defeated Harris in the runoff election on December 5, with 62 percent of the vote. Shortly after his victory in the runoff, Letlow tested positive for COVID-19, and he was hospitalized the following day. Letlow's condition worsened, and he was moved to the intensive care unit where he died days later on December 29, less than a week before he was scheduled to be sworn into office.

## Candidates
### Democratic Party
#### Declared

* Sandra "Candy" Christophe, social worker and candidate for this seat in 2020

#### Withdrawn

* Jessica Honsinger Hollister, actress

### Republican Party
#### Declared

* Chad Conerly, finance professional
* Allen Guillory, candidate for this seat in 2020
* Robert Lansden, attorney
* Julia Letlow, administrative executive assistant at University of Louisiana at Monroe and widow of U.S. representative-elect Luke Letlow
* Jaycee Magnuson
* Horace Melton III
* Richard H. Pannell
* Sancha Smith, political organizer
* Errol Victor Sr., pastor

#### Declined

* Ralph Abraham, former U.S. Representative and candidate for Governor of Louisiana in 2019
* Stewart Cathey, state senator (endorsed Julia Letlow)
* Michael Echols, state representative
* Lance Harris, state representative and candidate for this seat in 2020
* Mike Johnson, state representative
* Scotty Robinson, Ouachita Parish Police Juror and candidate for this seat in 2020

### No party affiliation
#### Declared

* Jim Davis
* M. V. "Vinny" Mendoza, perennial candidate

### Endorsements

Former U.S. Executive Branch Officials
* Nikki Haley, 29th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018) and 116th governor of South Carolina (2011–2017)
* Mike Pence, 48th vice president of the United States (2017–2021)
* Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States (2017–2021)
U.S. Senators
* John Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Louisiana (2017–present)
U.S. Representatives
* Kevin McCarthy, U.S. Representative from CA-23 (2013–present), House Majority Leader (2014-2019), House Minority Leader (2019–present)
* Steve Scalise, U.S. Representative from LA-01 (2008–present), House Majority Whip (2014-2019), House Minority Whip (2019-present)
Organizations
* National Federation of Independent Business
* Republican Party of Louisiana
Organizations
* Democratic Party of Louisiana

## Jungle primary
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Solid R | March 19, 2021 |
| Inside Elections | Solid R | March 19, 2021 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe R | March 18, 2021 |

### Results

2021 Louisiana's 5th congressional district special election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Julia Letlow | 67,203 | 64.86 |
| | Democratic | Sandra Christophe | 28,255 | 27.27 |
| | Republican | Chad Conerly | 5,497 | 5.31 |
| | Republican | Robert Lansden | 929 | 0.90 |
| | Republican | Allen Guillory | 464 | 0.45 |
| | Independent | Jim Davis | 402 | 0.39 |
| | Republican | Sancha Smith | 334 | 0.32 |
| | Republican | M. V. Mendoza | 236 | 0.23 |
| | Independent | Jaycee Magnuson | 131 | 0.13 |
| | Republican | Richard H. Pannell | 67 | 0.06 |
| | Republican | Horace Melton III | 62 | 0.06 |
| | Republican | Errol Victor Sr. | 36 | 0.03 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 103,616 | 100.00 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

#### By parish

| Parish | Julia Letlow Republican | Julia Letlow Republican | Sandra Christophe Democratic | Sandra Christophe Democratic | Chad Conerly Republican | Chad Conerly Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Margin | Total votes |
| Parish | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes |
| Avoyelles | 3,053 | 63.7 | 1,189 | 24.8 | 430 | 9.0 | 123 | 2.5 | 1,864 | 38.9 | 4,795 |
| Caldwell | 1,426 | 83.0 | 204 | 11.9 | 57 | 3.3 | 31 | 1.8 | 1,222 | 71.1 | 1,718 |
| Catahoula | 1,197 | 67.0 | 489 | 27.4 | 72 | 4.0 | 28 | 1.6 | 708 | 39.6 | 1,786 |
| Concordia | 1,797 | 68.5 | 715 | 27.3 | 78 | 3.0 | 33 | 1.3 | 1,082 | 41.3 | 2,623 |
| East Carroll | 483 | 48.9 | 469 | 47.5 | 21 | 2.1 | 15 | 1.5 | 14 | 1.4 | 988 |
| East Feliciana | 682 | 45.0 | 696 | 45.9 | 98 | 6.5 | 41 | 2.6 | –14 | 0.9 | 1,517 |
| Franklin | 2,681 | 79.7 | 509 | 15.1 | 130 | 3.9 | 40 | 1.3 | 2,172 | 64.6 | 3,363 |
| Grant | 2,346 | 78.8 | 328 | 11.0 | 199 | 6.7 | 106 | 3.5 | 2,018 | 67.8 | 2,979 |
| Jackson | 1,900 | 70.2 | 678 | 25.1 | 79 | 2.9 | 48 | 1.8 | 1,222 | 45.1 | 2,705 |
| La Salle | 2,189 | 86.9 | 157 | 6.2 | 119 | 4.7 | 55 | 2.2 | 2,032 | 80.7 | 2,520 |
| Lincoln | 4,515 | 67.0 | 1,968 | 29.2 | 131 | 1.9 | 128 | 1.9 | 2,547 | 37.8 | 6,742 |
| Madison | 722 | 47.9 | 666 | 44.2 | 57 | 3.8 | 62 | 4.1 | 56 | 3.7 | 1,507 |
| Morehouse | 2,442 | 55.5 | 1,711 | 38.9 | 92 | 2.1 | 158 | 3.5 | 731 | 16.6 | 4,403 |
| Ouachita | 14,821 | 67.2 | 6,174 | 28.0 | 607 | 2.8 | 442 | 2.0 | 8,647 | 39.2 | 22,044 |
| Rapides | 10,373 | 62.3 | 5,086 | 30.5 | 739 | 4.4 | 463 | 2.8 | 5,287 | 31.8 | 16,661 |
| Richland | 3,310 | 77.6 | 826 | 19.4 | 84 | 2.0 | 48 | 1.0 | 2,484 | 58.2 | 4,268 |
| St. Helena | 220 | 43.9 | 140 | 27.9 | 134 | 26.7 | 7 | 1.5 | 60 | 16.0 | 501 |
| St. Landry | 3,316 | 54.1 | 2,169 | 35.4 | 267 | 4.4 | 381 | 6.1 | 1,147 | 18.7 | 6,133 |
| Tangipahoa | 2,147 | 48.4 | 1,019 | 23.0 | 1,102 | 24.9 | 166 | 3.7 | 1,045 | 23.5 | 4,434 |
| Tensas | 532 | 53.4 | 417 | 41.9 | 25 | 2.5 | 22 | 2.5 | 115 | 11.5 | 996 |
| Washington | 3,092 | 58.1 | 1,576 | 29.6 | 532 | 10.0 | 126 | 2.3 | 1,516 | 28.5 | 5,326 |
| West Carroll | 1,197 | 75.5 | 155 | 9.8 | 205 | 12.9 | 28 | 1.8 | 992 | 62.6 | 1,585 |
| West Feliciana | 998 | 58.3 | 533 | 31.1 | 132 | 7.7 | 49 | 2.9 | 465 | 27.2 | 1,712 |
| Winn | 1,764 | 76.4 | 381 | 16.5 | 107 | 4.6 | 58 | 2.5 | 1,383 | 59.9 | 2,310 |
| Total | 67,203 | 64.86% | 28,255 | 27.27% | 5,497 | 5.31% | 2,658 | 2.56% | 38,948 | 37.59% | 103,616 |