Trump endorses Louisiana Congresswoman Julia Letlow: Here's what he had to say

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Louisiana Republican Congresswoman Julia Letlow Wednesday after a meeting between the two at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The former president, who is making a bid to return to the White House, posted the endorsement of Letlow, a Republican from Start, on his Truth Social account.

"Congresswoman Julia Letlow is doing a fantastic job representing the great people of Louisiana's 5th Congressional District,” Trump said in his post. "Julia is working hard to secure the border, strengthen our military, fully support our veterans' and parents' rights, champion American energy, grow the economy and protect and defend our Second Amendment, which is under siege from the radical left.

"Julia Letlow is a strong advocate for our America First agenda and has my complete and total endorsement."

Letlow, the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in Congress, is seeking a third term.

She is considered a rising star in Congress and has landed a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee, which controls the country's purse strings.

Her 5th District boundaries underwent a dramatic shift in the new congressional map drawn by the Louisiana Legislature last month.

Letlow still represents parts of Monroe and Ouachita, her home parish, but Alexandria is now located in the new majority Black 6th District. She also continues to represent the Florida parishes and all of rural northeastern Louisiana, which is dominated by agriculture interests.

In the new 5th District, Letlow takes in 42% of what had been Republican Congressman Garret Graves' 6th District with Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Livingston, including the main campus of LSU.

Letlow goes into November's election campaign season with at least $1.4 million cash on hand, according to her latest campaign finance report.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.