Tangipahoa Parish Voters Face Important 2026 Election Decisions

Louisiana voters will have an important Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with both a statewide U.S. Senate General Election and elections for the U.S. House of Representatives.

For voters in Tangipahoa Parish, the congressional race is particularly important because the parish is represented by Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District.

U.S. Senate — November 3

The U.S. Senate General Election will be decided statewide on November 3. The candidates are Republican Julia Letlow and Democrat Jamie Davis. The winner will represent Louisiana in the U.S. Senate.

This election is separate from the U.S. House race. Every Louisiana voter can vote in the Senate election, while voters will also vote for the U.S. House candidate representing their congressional district.

Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District

In the 1st Congressional District, which includes Tangipahoa Parish, voters will see the candidates for Congress on the November 3 open primary ballot.

Among the candidates are incumbent Republican Steve Scalise, Republican Randall Arrington, and Democrat Lauren Jewett.

Unlike the Senate race, the House election may not be decided on November 3.

If a House candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, that candidate wins the seat. If nobody receives a majority, the leading candidates advance to a December 12 runoff.

U.S. House Representative – December 12

Why Is There a December Election?

This is one of the things that can be confusing for Louisiana voters.

The December 12, 2026 election is not automatically a second election for Congress. It is a runoff election for races in which no candidate received a majority of the vote on November 3.

Louisiana’s U.S. House elections were moved to the November 3 open-primary ballot, with a general election scheduled for December 12 if a runoff is necessary.

So, for voters in Tangipahoa Parish, the calendar is:

November 3, 2026
• U.S. Senate General Election — Julia Letlow vs. Jamie Davis
• U.S. House, 1st Congressional District — open primary

December 12, 2026
• U.S. House, 1st Congressional District — runoff, if required

For Tangipahoa Parish voters, November 3 could therefore determine both Louisiana’s next U.S. Senator and, potentially, the next representative from the 1st Congressional District. But if no House candidate wins a majority, voters could be asked to return to the polls on December 12 to make the final decision.

Per Act 7 of the 2026 Regular Session, U.S. Representative is no longer considered a closed party office for purposes of the November and December election cycle, and anyone planning to qualify may do so by either paying the qualifying fee or via
nominating petition regardless of party.