Julia Letlow

In the race for U.S. Senate, Louisiana voters have heard many messages. Early on, we urged candidates to focus their campaigns on what matters most to Louisianans.

There are a few chapters yet to be written before Louisiana voters make their final decision known. The move to party primaries this election cycle means that the electorate has multiple chances to weigh in. We are hopeful that voters will see the process through to the end.

Yet we are at a critical phase in the election. Sen. Bill Cassidy, the two-term incumbent, failed to advance to the runoff in the May 16 Republican primary. Voters are now left to evaluate the remaining candidates to determine who can bring the experience and vision necessary to succeed a senator whose decade of service gave him the seniority — with all that entails — to push forward issues that make a difference to our state.

Looking at the entire field, Democrat and Republican, we believe that U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow makes the best case that she is prepared to make an immediate impact in the Senate, as she has throughout her career.

A native of Monroe, Letlow has represented Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District in Congress since April 2021. She serves on the all-important House Appropriations Committee, where she has been able to secure funding for hospitals, airport infrastructure and other state needs.

Before her time in Congress, she held administrative roles at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Tulane University School of Medicine, demonstrating an ability to work with a wide range of people in large, complex organizations.

At 45, she would also represent generational change in the Senate. As a mom of two young kids, she has a chance to bring a spotlight to the real concerns of Louisiana’s women, who face some of the highest rates of domestic violence and maternal mortality in the country. If elected, she would be the first Republican woman senator from Louisiana.

She also has a compelling personal story of resilience. She took office after a special election following her husband Luke Letlow’s death from COVID in December 2020, just days before he was set to be sworn into Congress.

Though national politics are often front and center in campaigns for Senate — and Letlow has received the powerful endorsement of President Donald Trump in addition to that of Gov. Jeff Landry and other state officials — ultimately, we elect senators to serve the needs of our state first.

On primary night, Letlow addressed supporters saying, “I promise you this, I will never forget this is not my seat, this is yours, the people’s seat. And that will be at the forefront of every decision I make and every vote that I take.”

We agree government functions best when it is accountable to the people. We trust that Letlow, if elected, will be guided by those principles.

Editors' note: No reporters or editors in The Times-Picayune newsroom or its Washington Bureau participated in any way in the endorsement.