Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana has been unseated, marking a significant win for President Donald Trump in his latest series of political maneuvers.
On Saturday, Representative Julia Letlow, who has Trump’s endorsement, and state Treasurer John Fleming advanced to a runoff in the Louisiana Republican Senate primary, while Cassidy ended up in third place.
This outcome is unprecedented: Cassidy is the first senator from either party to lose a primary since 2012. Despite being a two-term senator and the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, he did not even qualify for the runoff, gathering only about 25% of the vote.
Letlow and Fleming capitalized on the discontent among MAGA supporters, stemming from Cassidy’s 2021 vote to convict Trump on charges related to the January 6 insurrection and his doubts about Trump’s choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary.
Trump, eager to remove Cassidy, achieved his goal with this result. This follows Trump’s previous success in removing several GOP state senators in Indiana over redistricting issues.
Letlow, a representative from north Louisiana for three terms, entered the race with Trump’s backing, a significant advantage in the heavily Republican state. She also received support from Governor Jeff Landry, who played a role in her campaign’s strategy, and the Make America Healthy Again PAC, which invested $1 million in her candidacy.
Fleming, who has experience as a congressman and a White House aide during Trump’s administration, garnered substantial grassroots support, narrowing Letlow’s lead as the race progressed.
The runoff will prolong the costly contest for the GOP nomination until late June. Early polls indicate a competitive race between Letlow and Fleming, though Letlow had a distinct lead in the initial voting round.
CLARIFICATION: This article has been revised to specify that the last time a previously elected senator lost a primary was in 2012.
