Trump-Backed Candidate Cruises To Victory Over GOP Senator Who Voted To Impeach The President

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow cruised to victory in the Louisiana Republican primary for the U.S. Senate on Saturday evening. The result was especially notable as current Senator Bill Cassidy failed to reach the required threshold for a runoff election, effectively marking the end of his Senate career.

State Treasurer John Fleming placed second, which advanced both himself and Letlow to a runoff election scheduled for June 27.

Unofficial results with a large portion of votes counted showed Letlow at approximately 45 percent, Fleming at 28 percent, and Cassidy at 25 percent, with the remaining votes going to other candidates. These figures placed Letlow and Fleming in the top two positions under Louisiana’s primary system, which advances the leading candidates to a runoff if no one secures a majority.

The general election in November 2026 is expected to favor the Republican nominee in the solidly Republican state.

President Donald Trump endorsed Letlow in the race earlier this year, which no doubt contributed to her sizable polling lead and eventual first-place finish. Letlow, who represents Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District, positioned her campaign around alignment with the current administration’s priorities.

Credit: Congressional office of Rep. Julia Letlow

“Congratulations to Congresswoman Julia Letlow on a fantastic race, beating an Incumbent Senator by Record Setting Numbers. This is the first time in History that a sitting Senator has lost by such large numbers in a Primary, unable to even go forward,” the president posted on Truth Social following Letlow’s win.

“Julia Letlow is a fantastic person and, after taking care of some additional business, will make a brilliant Senator for the Great People of Louisiana, a State that I love, helped make prosperous with my Energy Policies and everything else, and won six times in a row, including Primaries.”

The president also slid in a jab at Cassidy following his third-place finish. “Bill Cassidy, after falsely using his ‘relationship’ with me during his political career, and winning Elections because of it, voted to impeach me on preposterous charges that were fake then, and now, are criminally insane! His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of legend, and it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” Trump wrote.

Cassidy, who was first elected in 2014, now has no path forward to re-election after serving two terms in the Senate. In 2021, during the Senate impeachment trial of then-former President Trump related to the January 6 Capitol events, Cassidy was among seven Republican senators who voted to convict.

Following the primary results, Cassidy addressed supporters and acknowledged the outcome, stating it was not the result he had sought. He congratulated Letlow and Fleming and emphasized his respect for the electoral process.

The June 27 runoff will determine the Republican nominee between Letlow and Fleming, with Letlow entering the race positioned as the frontrunner. According to a recent poll from Quantus Insights, Letlow maintained a lead with 45.4 percent to 39.6 percent for Fleming in a runoff scenario.

An additional 15 percent of remained undecided in the poll.

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