Trump-Backed Letlow Wins Louisiana Senate Runoff
Cover image from cbsnews.com, which was analyzed for this article
Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow defeated John Fleming in the Republican runoff for the open Senate seat. Letlow is projected to become Louisiana's first GOP woman senator. The race highlighted Trump influence within the party.
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Sunday, June 28, 2026 — Politics
Letlow’s victory shows Trump’s endorsement remains potent in Republican primaries even against candidates with their own conservative credentials. The race also revealed lingering tensions over past impeachment votes and policy differences on education and energy that the general election may test further.
What outlets missed
Only the Newsmax/AP account detailed the $4.1 million super PAC spend and the two candidates’ comparable $1 million advertising outlays. Fleming’s claim that White House allies of Gov. Landry blocked his access to Trump appeared solely in that wire report. No outlet supplied turnout figures or precinct-level breakdowns that would show whether Letlow’s margin reflected broad support or concentrated strength in specific regions. The carbon-capture dispute, which has divided rural Louisiana Republicans, received minimal attention outside Fleming’s stated opposition.
Louisiana voters delivered a clear signal on the reach of presidential endorsements inside the Republican Party. Rep. Julia Letlow defeated state Treasurer John Fleming in the June 28 GOP Senate runoff, positioning the 45-year-old congresswoman to succeed Sen. Bill Cassidy and become the state’s first Republican woman in the chamber.
Letlow received 56.5 percent of the vote to Fleming’s 43.5 percent, according to the Associated Press with 69 percent of ballots counted. Both candidates had advanced past Cassidy in the May 16 primary, where Letlow took 44.8 percent, Fleming 28.3 percent and Cassidy 24.8 percent. Trump endorsed Letlow in January, three days before she entered the race, after Cassidy voted to convict the president during his 2021 impeachment trial.
The contest exposed competing claims to Trump loyalty. Fleming, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus who served in Trump’s first administration, told voters he had been blocked from reaching the president by allies of Gov. Jeff Landry. Letlow, who has represented Louisiana’s 5th District since winning a 2021 special election, pledged to advance Trump’s agenda and received endorsements from Landry and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. A super PAC supporting Letlow spent $4.1 million on advertising in the final six weeks, outpacing the roughly $1 million each candidate’s campaigns spent, according to AdImpact.
Policy differences surfaced on education and energy. Fleming highlighted Letlow’s 2020 comments supporting a diversity, equity and inclusion division while interviewing for a university presidency; Letlow later said she opposes such policies. Fleming also opposed carbon-capture projects and federal subsidies for them, citing property rights and costs. Letlow focused on legislation barring transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s school sports.
In the Democratic primary, farmer Jamie Davis defeated Navy veteran Gary Crockett. Louisiana’s strong Republican tilt—Trump carried the state by 22 points in 2024—makes Letlow the favorite in November.
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