La. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy fails to make runoff in primary, as Trump-backed challenger tops vote

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bill Cassidy was denied a third term by Louisiana Republican primary voters Saturday, as he was projected to finish third behind Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) and state Treasurer John Fleming.

With 92 percent of the vote in, Letlow was leading with 44.8 percent and Fleming was in second with 28.4%, and were projected to be the winners by the Associated Press — while Cassidy brought up the rear with 24.7 percent.

Letlow and Fleming will now advance to a June 27 runoff, with Letlow favored to secure the nomination on the strength of President Trump’s endorsement, which he reiterated with a post on Truth Social Friday as he returned to Washington from a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After the election was called, Trump took a victory lap on social media.

“Bill Cassidy . . . voted to impeach me on preposterous charges that were fake then, and now, are criminally insane!” he wrote on Truth Social. “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!”

Cassidy, 68, is one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. With Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) facing a tough re-election fight this November, that number could be reduced to one — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — when the 120th Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2027.

Beyond the impeachment vote, Cassidy also called on Trump to drop out of the 2024 election in the wake of his indictment on charges of hoarding national security documents at Mar-a-Lago and has claimed the administration is not pro-life enough.

Trump got his revenge by pre-emptively endorsing Letlow in January, before she even declared her candidacy, ensuring Cassidy would have to fight for the renomination.

President Trump took one more kick at Cassidy shorty before the results were known, branding him “disloyal” on social media.

“Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is a disloyal disaster. His entire past campaign for the Senate was about ‘TRUMP,’ how he’s with me all the way, and then, after winning, he turned around and voted to IMPEACH me for something that has now proven to be total “bulls—!” Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday while the vote was going on.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), the most powerful Pelican Stater in Washington, admitted Wednesday that the three-cornered fight left him in an “awkward situation,” saying Letlow was “like a sister to me” and noting that Fleming had preceeded him in representing Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District.

Cassidy had spent months trying to bury the hatchet with Trump, even begrudgingly voting to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary despite clashing with the nominee over vaccines.

Meanwhile, Cassidy and Fleming needled Letlow over her past career as a top official at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, during which she described herself as a “strong and progressive leader” and backed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Cassidy’s defeat continues a strong month for Trump’s endorsees after five Indiana Republican lawmakers who defied him over redistricting were beaten in their primaries.

The next test of Trump’s sway over the GOP is set for Tuesday, when libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), faces off against farmer and former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who is backed by the president.