Trump-Backed Letlow Leads Louisiana Senate Primary; Cassidy Falls to Third

Louisiana Republicans delivered a clear rebuke to Sen. Bill Cassidy on Saturday, denying the two-term incumbent a spot in the June runoff and signaling that defiance of President Trump carries steep electoral costs. With all votes counted, Rep. Julia Letlow captured 44.9 percent, State Treasurer John Fleming took 28.3 percent, and Cassidy finished third at 24.7 percent, according to the Associated Press. Neither Letlow nor Fleming reached the 50 percent threshold required to win outright, so the two will meet again on June 27.

Cassidy’s 2021 vote to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial formed the most visible fault line. Trump repeatedly labeled the senator disloyal and endorsed Letlow in January. Cassidy, a physician who chairs the Senate health committee, also drew fire from Make America Healthy Again activists for his past support of vaccines and for blocking Trump’s initial choice for surgeon general. Louisiana’s closed-primary rules, enacted earlier this year, further narrowed the electorate that might have crossed over to back the incumbent.

In his concession speech in Baton Rouge, Cassidy avoided naming Trump yet warned against leaders who demand personal loyalty over constitutional duty. “You don’t pout. You don’t whine. You don’t claim that an election was stolen from you,” he told supporters. Letlow, by contrast, thanked Trump directly and said voters wanted a senator who would “never turn her back on Louisiana.” Fleming positioned himself as the more consistent Trump ally in the runoff. Only two other Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in 2021 remain in office.