State Rep. Julie Stokes (R-Kenner) has been dealing with breast cancer since last July. The breast cancer diagnosis took her out of the state treasurer’s race. But she received some good news a couple of days ago. She told her supporters that she is 100% cancer free.

From Nola.com:

State Rep. Julie Stokes on Tuesday (Jan. 9) announced that she has beaten cancer after a five-month-long battle that brought to an end her hopes of becoming state treasurer.

In an email to supporters on Tuesday, Stokes said that she received test results  Monday evening following surgery a week ago.

“I can now say that I am 100 percent cancer free,” Stokes, a Kenner Republican, wrote. “It’s amazing to reflect on the past five months, and how my journey began in July with a simple phone call — a phone call from my doctor, confirming my breast cancer diagnosis.”

Stokes was expected to be a moderate voice in a field of conservative Republicans vying to replace former Treasurer John Kennedy, who vacated the seat after being elected to the U.S. Senate. Before the diagnosis, Democrats had been weighing whether to throw their support behind Stokes in a bid to assemble a coalition of Republican and Democratic voters.

While Stokes said she dropped out of the race because she wanted to spend more time with her family in the wake of the diagnosis, it doesn’t appear the five months of treatment has done anything to quell her ambition for higher office. In her letter to supporters, she acknowledged that many people “have asked, ‘What’s next?'”

This is very good news for Julie Stokes. We pray that she remains cancer free in the new year.

As for “what’s next” for Stokes, who knows. Stokes is not term-limited in 2019, so she can run for reelection if she chooses to do so. She could also decide to run statewide for an office. One thing is for certain, this is not the last we’ll hear from Stokes.