Jeremy Alford: Louisiana's Mama Bear comes out of the den

Congresswoman Julia Letlow assumed elected office 17 months ago, just enough time to find out where the House of Representatives keeps its office supplies. Yet somehow Letlow, a Republican from Start, has managed to secure a lot more than staplers and paper clips during her short time on Capitol Hill.

Already she has a seat on the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee, arguably the most powerful panel in all of Washington. More recently, she found herself with a starring role in the political blueprint drafted by House Republicans for the next term.

Called “Commitment to America,” that blueprint is being aggressively sold to American voters ahead of this fall’s congressional elections. Republicans want to capture the nation’s lower chamber, and they view this plan — modeled after former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s 1990s-era “Contract With America” — as a key ingredient.
C-SPAN, Fox News and other outlets covered the official roll out live last week, providing a rather large audience for the scripted, invitation-only town hall event. The party’s superstars, like Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Whip Steve Scalise of Jefferson Parish, fielded questions to explain the different planks in “Commitment to America.”

Likewise in the mix for some enviable screen time was Letlow, who was selected from the House leadership to answer a question from a concerned mother about parental control in schools.

Letlow provided a sympathetic ear, saying, “Mama Bear to Mama Bear, I hear you.”

While Letlow has quickly carved out an undeniable policy niche on agriculture, first on the Agriculture Committee and now as a member of Appropriations, the House leadership continues to put her in roles to discuss education. As a former educator, it seems to come easy to her.
During the “Commitment to America” event last week, Letlow got the opportunity to discuss her Parents’ Bill of Rights, which is part of the party’s larger agenda.

The legislation seeks to make sure parents have the right to know what their children are being taught, what school budgets look like, how students are being kept safe and more.

“I think the pandemic brought to light for a lot of parents how important it is for us to have an active role in our children’s education,” said Letlow.

The rookie congresswoman from Richland Parish is showing off her own political prowess, but she’s also providing her party with something it badly needs — a strong, dependable and believable female voice speaking on everyday family issues.

Republican Party leaders know they need women like Letlow front and center. When she’s not working on Capitol Hill, Letlow is raising two small children. Put another way, she has skin in the game because her family is more directly impacted by the policies she passes than other members of Congress.

In most of America, women are expected to vote in record numbers this fall, partly driven by this year’s high-profile abortion rights ruling. In places like Georgia and Wisconsin, women are outpacing men in requests for early ballots. In Michigan, women outrank men in voter registration ranks by eight percentage points.

That said, having Letlow on the big stage is a huge help for the GOP. In terms of talking points while she has this exposure, it sounds like the congresswoman will have a singular focus — education.

“For me, the focus will be on the conversations we’ve had around education issues and how we plan to pass the Parents’ Bill of Rights to ensure families always have a seat at the table,” she said.

Letlow took a family-focused approach recently when she visited the country’s southern border. Upon returning to Louisiana, she told reporters and constituents the area was a “national security disaster and a humanitarian crisis.”

When pushed for more details about her visit to Eagle Pass in Texas, she recalled a “moving conversation” with a “fellow mom” who commands the Border Patrol unit there.

“Not only did she talk about the massive number of crossings they see daily, but my heart shattered as she told us about how their agents often have to pull the lifeless bodies of small children and babies from the river,” she recalled.

While Letlow started off as an agriculture hawk, just like all of her predecessors in the rural 5th Congressional District, her political trajectory is diversifying and accelerating. With a little help from her party, Letlow is becoming much more: a new and emerging voice for families, mothers and children.

For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow.