Bill Cassidy Fights Trump-Backed Julia Letlow in Louisiana Senate Primary

Louisiana voters went to the polls Saturday in the state's Senate primaries as Sen. Bill Cassidy, 68, fought to hold his seat against Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming.

Cassidy’s challenge is tied to his 2021 impeachment vote after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and President Donald Trump endorsed Letlow in January while encouraging voters to back her in the Saturday contest.

BBC

If no candidate receives a simple majority, the top two vote-getters will go to a runoff on June 27, with CNN describing the race as a key test of Trump’s ability to unseat fellow Republicans who cross him.

The BBC said Cassidy was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump, and noted that Trump was acquitted after the Senate voted 57-43, short of the two-thirds majority required.

On Saturday morning, Trump disparaged Cassidy on Truth Social as “a disloyal disaster,” and the BBC added that he also called Cassidy “a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA.”

Cassidy, speaking to CNN’s “Situation Room,” said, “I’m not claiming the president loves me — no — but you can work with people even if you don’t love each other if you’ve got a common goal,” framing his case as about “the present and the future.”

BBC

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Thursday that “Bill Cassidy has been a terrific senator for Louisiana,” while the BBC described the primary as the latest test of Trump’s ability to punish Republicans who break with him.

The NBC News report said Cassidy acknowledged in an interview last month that his impeachment vote “might” be a liability in the race, while also insisting he works well with Trump and highlighted his record of legislation passed and signed into law.

The BBC said the winner of the Louisiana GOP primary would almost certainly take the November general election because of the state's Republican leanings, and it described the runoff as a June end-of-month decision if no one wins a simple majority.

“Washington — Louisianans are voting Saturday in the state's Senate primaries as Sen”

CBS News

NBC News reported that overall spending has topped $30 million, with AdImpact figures showing ads in support of Cassidy totaling $21.8 million, $9.8 million boosting Letlow, and $1.5 million in spending on pro-Fleming ads.

On the ground, PBS/AP reported that the election was scrambled by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision gutting a part of the Voting Rights Act affecting how congressional maps are drawn, while Louisiana leaders delayed House primaries to allow redistricting changes.

Cassidy’s campaign argued the closed primary system was “intentionally difficult,” with Cassidy telling reporters, “People are calling my office to say they tried to vote for me, but they could not,” and his campaign manager Kate Larkin writing, “The Governor closed the primary and continuously meddled in this election to support Julia Letlow.”