Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy faced a primary challenge on Saturday backed by 
Donald Trump, the latest test of the president's ability to punish Republicans who break with him. Cassidy was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump after the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and Trump endorsed Representative Julia Letlow against him while branding the incumbent a "disloyal disaster," the BBC reported. As polls opened, Trump called Cassidy "a sleazebag" on social media and urged a vote for Letlow.
Most polling showed Cassidy in third place behind Letlow and state treasurer John Fleming, another candidate aligned with Trump, the BBC reported; if no candidate clears 50%, the top two advance to a June runoff. An LSU political scientist told the Guardian the race was "mostly about Trump" and that the president's spurning of Cassidy was probably the "death knell" for his Senate tenure.
Cassidy, a gastroenterologist who chairs the Senate health committee, had sought to repair ties with Trump, telling reporters they "work really well together," NPR reported. He cast the deciding committee vote to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, a move widely seen as an attempt to smooth relations with the president, the Guardian reported. Both challengers cast themselves as the president's choice, with Letlow citing his endorsement and Fleming circulating photos with him.
Louisiana's primary rules were changed in 2024 by Republican Governor Jeff Landry and the legislature so that US Senate candidates are nominated only by party members and unaffiliated voters, a shift one strategist told the Guardian was likely intended to disadvantage Republicans who fall out of favor with Trump. Should he lose, Cassidy would join a growing list of Republicans whose careers ended after crossing the president, including Indiana state senators who blocked a redistricting effort Trump had backed. Cassidy's campaign said its goal was to finish in the top two and reach the June runoff, NPR reported.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
