NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Five incumbents in Louisiana's U.S. House delegation face no well-known opposition in Tuesday's election, but there was a question as to who will represent a heavily Republican district where the incumbent did not seek reelection.
Republican Ralph Abraham is stepping down from his northeast Louisiana-based district. Nine people sought to fill the open seat in what has been a reliably Republican district.
Abraham, an unsuccessful candidate for governor last year, is keeping a self-imposed term-limits vow, bowing out of the House after three terms as the representative from a sprawling northeast Louisiana-based district.
He endorsed his chief of staff, Luke Letlow, as his replacement and Letlow garnered support from others in the Republican House delegation. The question was whether such backing could propel him to an outright victory against eight opponents — three other Republicans and four Democrats — on Tuesday. In Louisiana's nonpartisan elections, if nobody gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers go on to a runoff. This year's runoff would take place in December.
Federal Election Commission reports showed Letlow with a strong funding advantage over his competitors, including Republicans Randall Scott Harrison, a member of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury; and state Rep. John Lance Harris. Democrats in the race include social worker Sandra Christophe and Martin Lemelle Jr., chief operating officer at Grambling State University.
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