Overview
- In Saturday's Republican primary, the Associated Press projected Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming will face a June 27 runoff, with Sen. Bill Cassidy finishing third in a solidly Republican state.
- President Trump endorsed Letlow, blasted Cassidy over his 2021 vote to convict on impeachment, and celebrated the outcome on Truth Social.
- The switch to a closed primary replaced Louisiana’s all-party “jungle” system and blocked independents and Democrats who had helped Cassidy in past contests.
- Cassidy and allied groups spent more than $20 million on ads, according to AdImpact, yet he still failed to reach the runoff.
- The defeat makes Cassidy the first elected GOP senator to lose renomination since 2012, as MAHA-aligned health activists backed Letlow after faulting Cassidy for stalling surgeon general pick Casey Means.