Trump-Backed Letlow Leads Louisiana Senate Primary, Cassidy Out

Louisiana Republicans delivered a clear rebuke to Senator Bill Cassidy on Saturday, denying the two-term incumbent a spot in the runoff and handing a victory to President Donald Trump’s preferred challenger. With nearly all votes counted, Representative Julia Letlow captured about 45 percent while state Treasurer John Fleming took roughly 28 percent. Cassidy finished third with around 25 percent and will not advance.

The outcome follows years of tension that began when Cassidy joined six other Senate Republicans in voting to convict Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial tied to the Capitol riot. Trump repeatedly highlighted that vote as an act of betrayal. On Saturday morning he posted on Truth Social that Cassidy was a “disloyal disaster” who had campaigned as an ally only to turn around and support impeachment on charges the president called “total bulls***.” Trump added that Cassidy was “a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA” and predicted he would be “CLOBBERED.”

Voters appeared to agree. Letlow, whom Trump endorsed in January, ran as a reliable supporter of the president’s agenda and benefited from that backing in a state where Trump remains popular. Fleming, a former congressman and Trump administration official, also advanced and will face Letlow in the June 27 runoff. Neither reached the 50 percent threshold required to win outright.

Cassidy had tried to downplay the impeachment vote in recent months, stressing his cooperation with the administration on other issues. He even cast a key vote last year to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead Health and Human Services. Those efforts proved insufficient against the memory of his 2021 decision. In his concession remarks Cassidy insisted the country is “not about one individual” and spoke of the Constitution and the welfare of all Americans. He also suggested that insults from certain quarters carried little weight with him.

Trump celebrated the result later that evening, declaring Cassidy’s “disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of legend” and noting that the senator’s political career appeared finished. The president praised Letlow’s performance and said she would make a strong senator for Louisiana.

The primary underscored how firmly Trump continues to shape Republican primaries. Candidates viewed as insufficiently loyal face organized opposition that can overcome fundraising advantages and incumbency. Cassidy outspent his rivals yet could not overcome the damage from his impeachment vote among the party’s base.

Letlow told supporters she was grateful for Trump’s help and stressed that the seat belongs to the people of Louisiana rather than any officeholder. Fleming positioned himself as another conservative alternative willing to back the president’s priorities. Both now head to a runoff that will determine who carries the Republican banner in November in a state that strongly favors the party.

For Trump the Louisiana result adds to a pattern of settling scores with Republicans who broke with him on key votes. For Cassidy it marks the end of a Senate career that once looked secure but ultimately could not survive the consequences of opposing the dominant figure in today’s Republican Party.