‘I Can’t Feed My Kids’: Salon Owner Jailed Over Covid Wins State House Seat

Texas salon owner Shelley Luther, who defied COVID-19 lockdown orders to run her business, won a House seat in her state legislature Tuesday.

Luther defeated Democratic opponent Tiffany Drake with nearly 78% of the vote in District 62, WFAA reported. She will represent Fannin, Grayson, Franklin and Delta counties.

I know this feeling well. #relentless https://t.co/QwY6VmLsp8

— Shelley Luther (@ShelleyLuther) November 7, 2024

The state representative-elect recalled on Fox & Friends Saturday how she was not political before oppressive mandates prevented her and her employees from running their business, Salon A La Mode. Luther told Fox News co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy how she shut down her hair salon for one month, reopened it when her stylists faced financial hardship, then went to jail.

“After about a month, my hair stylists were calling me, saying, ‘I can’t feed my kids. I don’t know what to do,’ so, we just made the decision to open back up, and I ended up in jail,” Luther said with a smile.

Luther reflected on how a dog grooming business beside her was allowed to open while women were unable to get their hair done at her salon. She noted that her roots were “two-inches-long” in her mugshot after Campos-Duffy mentioned former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lockdown blowout that made headlines. (RELATED: Hospital Systems Around The US Are Bringing Back Mask Mandates)

Shelley Luther, who was jailed for opening her salon during Covid, was elected as a Texas state representative.

“My hair stylists were calling me, saying, ‘I can’t feed my kids. I don’t know what to do,’ so, we just made the decision to open back up, and I ended up in jail.” pic.twitter.com/kDFDZ18B48

— Julianna Frieman (@JuliannaFrieman) November 9, 2024

“I think that, Shelley, that Covid was on the ballot,” Campos-Duffy said.

“It’s amazing,” the Fox News host added. “A dog could get groomed but not a woman.”

Luther unseated incumbent Republican state Rep. Reggie Smith in the GOP primary in March. She unsuccessfully ran against Smith for the same District 62 seat in 2022.

She also ran for state Senate in 2020, WFAA reported.

Texas state Rep-elect Shelley Luther, who was jailed for opening her salon in defiance of COVID-19 lockdowns, reflects on how dogs could get groomed but not women.

Luther also promised to stop GOP “silliness” and revealed she had a brain aneurysm.

“I knew it was my time.” pic.twitter.com/xECxaxNY87

— Julianna Frieman (@JuliannaFrieman) November 9, 2024

Luther told Campos-Duffy she had a brain aneurysm in September that left her hospitalized for nearly one month. She emphasized her determination to fix the “silliness” in the Texas legislature and spoke to her miraculous recovery from her near-death experience.

“I knew it was my time,” she said.