State Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, announced Tuesday he will run for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, becoming the latest candidate to join the race for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow.
Echols, chairman of the Louisiana House Republican delegation, said he plans to invest $1 million in his campaign. The 5th District includes Livingston Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish, the Florida parishes and extends north along the Mississippi River to northeast Louisiana.
"We are at a turning point in our country," Echols said in a statement. "President Trump needs more businessmen and builders like him to cut off illegal immigration, protect our farmers and rural communities, and fix the greatest economy in the history of the world that Joe Biden and his autopen tried to destroy."
Echols, a contractor and real estate developer who also hosts a conservative radio talk show, has served in the Louisiana Legislature since 2020. He holds accounting and MBA degrees from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and previously served on the Monroe City Council.
If elected, Echols said he plans to make his Baton Rouge home his primary residence.
The announcement comes as qualifying for the race opens Wednesday and runs through Friday. The closed Republican primary is scheduled for May 16, with a potential runoff on June 27 if needed. The general election will be held Nov. 3.
Letlow announced in January she would give up her congressional seat to run for U.S. Senate.
Other Republicans in the race include State Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, State Sen. Blake Miguez of Erath, Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell of Monroe, and Ray Smith, a former Jefferson Parish law enforcement officer. Democrats Larry Foy of Winnsboro and Jessee Fleenor of Loranger have also announced their candidacies.
