Louisiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Louisiana's 5th Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 13, 2026 |
| Primary: May 16, 2026 Primary runoff: June 27, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Tuesday elections) |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th Louisiana elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 5th Congressional District of Louisiana, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 16, 2026, and a primary runoff is June 27, 2026. The filing deadline was February 13, 2026.
This is one of 56 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 21 Democrats and 35 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts are up for election.
Currently, Republicans have a 218-214 majority with three vacancies in the chamber.[1] To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Louisiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 16 Democratic primary)
- Louisiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 16 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Beginning in the 2026 elections, Louisiana elections for U.S. Congress, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education use a closed partisan primary and primary runoff system. Candidates for those offices no longer run in majority-vote system primaries.
General election
The primary will occur on May 16, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 5
Jessee Carlton Fleenor (D), Larry Foy (D), Lindsay Garcia (D), Dan McKay (D), and Tania Nyman (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 5 on May 16, 2026.
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 5
The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 5 on May 16, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Misti Cordell | |
 | Michael Echols | |
 | Rick Edmonds | |
 | Austin Magee | |
 | Michael Mebruer | |
 | Blake Miguez | |
 | Samuel Wyatt | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Julia Letlow (R)
- Stewart Cathey (R)
- Dixon McMakin (R)
- Joshua Morott (R)
- Ray Smith (R)
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Louisiana
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jessee Carlton Fleenor | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Larry Foy | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Lindsay Garcia | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Dan McKay | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Tania Nyman | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Misti Cordell | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Michael Echols | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Rick Edmonds | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Austin Magee | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Michael Mebruer | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Blake Miguez | Republican Party | $4,782,575 | $1,142,979 | $3,639,596 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Samuel Wyatt | Republican Party | $225,938 | $223,545 | $2,112 | As of December 31, 2025 |
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Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," . This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[2]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[3][4][5]
| Race ratings: Louisiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 3/31/2026 | 3/24/2026 | 3/17/2026 | 3/10/2026 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Louisiana in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Louisiana, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Louisiana | U.S. House | Democratic or Republican | 750 | $1,500 | 2/13/2026 | Source |
| Louisiana | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 750 | N/A | 2/13/2026 | Source |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
General election
The general election scheduled for December 7, 2024, was canceled.
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House Louisiana District 5
Incumbent Julia Letlow (R) won election outright against Michael Vallien Jr. (D) and M.V. Mendoza (R) in the primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 5 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Julia Letlow (R) | 62.9 | 201,037 |
 | Michael Vallien Jr. (D) | 25.9 | 82,981 | |
 | M.V. Mendoza (R) | 11.2 | 35,833 | |
| Total votes: 319,851 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dany Kitishian (R)
- Rivule Sykes (G)
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
General election
The general election scheduled for December 10, 2022, was canceled.
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House Louisiana District 5
Incumbent Julia Letlow (R) won election outright against Oscar Dantzler (D), Walter Huff (D), Allen Guillory Sr. (R), and Hunter Pullen (R) in the primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 5 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Julia Letlow (R) | 67.6 | 151,080 |
 | Oscar Dantzler (D) | 15.7 | 35,149 | |
| Walter Huff (D) | 8.7 | 19,383 | ||
 | Allen Guillory Sr. (R) | 5.4 | 12,159 | |
 | Hunter Pullen (R) | 2.6 | 5,782 | |
| Total votes: 223,553 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
General election
The general election scheduled for April 24, 2021, was canceled.
Nonpartisan primary
Special Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House Louisiana District 5
The following candidates ran in the special primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 5 on March 20, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Julia Letlow (R) | 64.9 | 67,203 |
 | Candy Christophe (D) | 27.3 | 28,255 | |
 | Chad Conerly (R) | 5.3 | 5,497 | |
 | Robert Lansden (R) | 0.9 | 929 | |
| | Allen Guillory Sr. (R) | 0.4 | 464 | |
| Jim Davis (Independent) | 0.4 | 402 | ||
| Sancha Smith (R) | 0.3 | 334 | ||
| | M.V. Mendoza (Independent) | 0.2 | 236 | |
 | Jaycee Magnuson (R) | 0.1 | 131 | |
| Richard Pannell (R) | 0.1 | 67 | ||
 | Horace Melton (R) | 0.1 | 62 | |
| Errol Victor (R) | 0.0 | 36 | ||
| Total votes: 103,616 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
General election
General election for U.S. House Louisiana District 5
Luke Letlow (R) defeated Lance Harris (R) in the general election for U.S. House Louisiana District 5 on December 5, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Luke Letlow (R) | 62.0 | 49,183 |
 | Lance Harris (R) | 38.0 | 30,124 | |
| Total votes: 79,307 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House Louisiana District 5
The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House Louisiana District 5 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Luke Letlow (R) | 33.1 | 102,533 |
| ✔ | | Lance Harris (R) | 16.6 | 51,240 |
| | Candy Christophe (D) | 16.4 | 50,812 | |
 | Martin Lemelle (D) | 10.4 | 32,186 | |
| Randall Scott Robinson (R) | 7.7 | 23,887 | ||
| | Allen Guillory Sr. (R) | 7.3 | 22,496 | |
 | Matt Hasty (R) | 3.2 | 9,834 | |
 | Phillip Snowden (D) | 3.0 | 9,432 | |
| Jesse Lagarde (D) | 2.3 | 7,136 | ||
| Total votes: 309,556 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brody Pierrottie (D)
- John Robert Badger (Independent Conservative Democratic Party)
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.
This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Louisiana.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Louisiana in 2026. Information below was calculated on Feb. 13, 2026, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Thirty-two candidates — 15 Democrats and 17 Republicans — ran for Louisiana’s six U.S. House districts. That’s 5.3 candidates per district. There were four candidates per district in 2024, 3.7 in 2022, five in 2020, 4.7 in 2018, 6.5 in 2016, and 5.8 in 2014.
These were the first primaries that Democratic and Republican candidates ran in separate U.S. House primaries. Previously, all candidates ran against each other on the same ballot.
These were also the first primaries that used primary runoffs. Previously, the state used the Louisiana majority-vote system. Under this system, a candidate who received a majority of the votes cast for an office won outright. If no candidate reached that threshold, a second round of voting was held between the top two vote-getters.
One district — the 5th district — was open in 2026 because Rep. Julia Letlow (R-5th) ran for the U.S. Senate. There was one open district in 2024, none in 2022, one in 2020, none in 2018, two in 2016, and one in 2014.
Nine primaries — five Democratic and four Republican — were contested in 2026. In total, there were five contested primaries in 2024, four in 2022, six in 2020, six in 2018, five in 2016, and five in 2014.
Twelve candidates — five Democrats and seven Republicans — ran in the open 5th district, the most candidates that ran for a district in 2026.
Three incumbents — one Democrat and two Republicans — faced primary challengers in 2026. There were four incumbents in a contested primary in 2024, four in 2022, five in 2020, six in 2018, three in 2016, and three in 2014.
The 2nd district was guaranteed to Democrats because no Republicans appeared on the ballot. Democrats filed to run in all six districts, meaning none were guaranteed to Republicans.Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+18. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 18 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Louisiana's 5th the 45th most Republican district nationally.[6]
2024 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|
| 31.0% | 67.0% |
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Louisiana, 2024
Louisiana presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 17 Democratic wins
- 13 Republican wins
- 2 other wins
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Louisiana's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Louisiana | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Republican | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 6 | 8 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Louisiana's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Jeff Landry |
| Lieutenant Governor | Billy Nungesser |
| Secretary of State | Nancy Landry |
| Attorney General | Liz Murrill |
State legislature
Louisiana State Senate
| Party | As of March 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 28 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 39 | |
Louisiana House of Representatives
| Party | As of March 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 32 | |
| Republican Party | 73 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 105 | |
Trifecta control
Louisiana Party Control: 1992-2025
Eight years of Democratic trifectas • Seven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ A majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, when there are no vacancies, is 218 seats.
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ States' Rights Democratic Party
- ↑ American Independent Party
