Louisiana holds special election Saturday for US House seats

by: The Associated Press, MELINDA DESLATTE

Posted: Mar 19, 2021 / 03:50 PM CDT / Updated: Mar 19, 2021 / 03:50 PM CDT

In this Sept. 8, 2020 photo, voting booths are kept socially distant at the Chesterfield, N.H. polling site. A majority of President Donald Trump’s supporters plan to cast their ballot on Election Day, while about half of Joe Biden’s backers plan to vote by mail. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that finds 54% of voters say they will vote before polls open on Nov. 3. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana voters determined the state’s congressional lineup three months ago.

But the presidential election and the coronavirus pandemic are forcing a new round of elections Saturday for two of those U.S. House seats.

Democrat Cedric Richmond left his New Orleans-based seat for a special adviser job in President Joe Biden’s administration. Republican Luke Letlow died of COVID-19 complications before he was even sworn in to Congress for the northeast Louisiana-based seat he won in December.

Letlow’s widow Julia is the front-runner to fill his seat among 12 candidates. Fifteen candidates are vying for the seat Richmond exited in a tight race that seems certain to head to an April runoff.

FILE – In this Jan. 20, 2021, file photo, state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, speaks in Baton Rouge, La., about her campaign for the 2nd Congressional District seat after signing up for the race. Several high-profile candidates are seeking the 2nd District seat in a majority minority district that extends along the Mississippi River into Baton Rouge. (AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte, File)
FILE – In this Jan. 21, 2021, file photo, Julia Letlow, widow of Republican U.S. Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, speaks to reporters in Baton Rouge, La., after signing up to run for the 5th District seat. Three months after Louisiana voters determined the state’s congressional lineup, the presidential election and the coronavirus pandemic are forcing a new round of elections Saturday for two of those U.S. House seats. Julia Letlow is the front-runner among 12 candidates in the race, with the backing of Donald Trump and the state GOP in a deep red district and more money raised than all her competitors combined. (AP Photo/Brett Duke, File)
FILE – In this March 31, 2016, file photo, Sen. Troy Carter, right, D-New Orleans, second from left, speaks in favor of an equal pay bill in Baton Rouge, La. Carter is among several high-profile candidates who are seeking the Louisiana’s 2nd District seat in a majority minority district that extends along the Mississippi River into Baton Rouge. (AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte, File)