Newly elected congressman from Louisiana died of COVID-19 after months of mask-free campaigning

The congressman-elect announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks after his win in a runoff election on Dec.18. In his diagnosis announcement, he noted that he would be “at home resting, following all CDC guidelines, quarantine protocols, and the recommendations of my doctors.” Within a day of the announcement, his condition worsened and he was hospitalized. While a representative for Letlow posted on Twitter that he was in “stable condition” on Dec. 23, four days later Letlow had passed. Letlow’s death came days before being sworn in as a U.S. Representative for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District, a position that would have made him the state’s youngest congressman.

“The family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time,” spokesman Andrew Bautsch said in a statement posted to Facebook. “A statement from the family along with funeral arrangements will be announced at a later time.”

But while Letlow acknowledged that he would be following healthcare guidelines after testing positive for the virus, throughout his campaign over the last few months, Letlow posted multiple maskless photos of himself with dozens of others at campaign and community events. Not only were these photos maskless, they also depicted his failure to follow social distancing guidelines, rules Letlow himself urged state residents to follow.

While some photos shared on his social media of his campaign did depict Letlow wearing a mask, the majority of them depicted him at indoor gatherings without one, an inconsistency many Republicans have repeated throughout this deadly pandemic. While campaigning, many Republican candidates have chosen to both wear and take off masks depending on who they are addressing. This inconsistency is not only unsafe and irresponsible, but downplays the severity of a deadly virus.

Additionally, Letlow pushed for states to “reopen the economy” and argued against regulations in place for the pandemic despite the increasing number of cases. “We’re now at a place if we do not open our economy, we’re in real danger,” Letlow said at a candidate forum in October.

While his death is unfortunate, it follows a pattern of GOP officials who once ignored safety precautions put in place to stop the spread of the virus only to be severely impacted by it. According to PBS News, since the start of the pandemic, a number of Louisiana officials have contracted the coronavirus including Sen. Bill Cassidy, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, Attorney General Jeff Landry, Treasurer John Schroder, Rep. Mike Johnson, and Rep. Cedric Richmond.

“It just, just, just, just brings home COVID can kill. For most folks it doesn’t, but it truly can. So, as you remember Luke, his widow, his children in your prayers, remember as well to be careful with COVID,” Cassidy said in a video posted to Twitter.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, more than 304,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Louisiana. Letlow is one of over 7,300 people who have died as a result of COVID-19 in the state since March.