Cassidy Loses Senate Primary

Sen. Bill Cassidy has lost his seat in the Louisiana GOP Senate primary. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming will advance to a runoff. Cassidy, a two-term senator, finished in third place with roughly a quarter of the vote.

Primary Results

Letlow and Fleming benefited from MAGA voters' frustrations with Cassidy over his 2021 vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges and his skepticism of Trump's decision to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary. Cassidy is the first previously elected senator of either party to lose in a primary since 2012.

Runoff Ahead

The runoff will extend the battle for the GOP nomination to late June. Early polls suggest a tight race between Letlow and Fleming, though Letlow had a clear advantage in the first round of voting. Letlow jumped into the race with Trump's endorsement and received support from Gov. Jeff Landry and the Make America Healthy Again PAC.

Key points

• Sen. Bill Cassidy lost the Louisiana GOP Senate primary, finishing in third place.
• Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming will advance to a runoff.
• Cassidy is the first previously elected senator of either party to lose in a primary since 2012.
• Letlow received Trump's endorsement and support from Gov. Jeff Landry and the Make America Healthy Again PAC.
• The runoff will extend the battle for the GOP nomination to late June.