Louisiana Republicans Vote in Senate Primary as Cassidy Seeks Third Term

Washington — Louisiana voters head to the polls Saturday to choose a Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate. Sen. Bill Cassidy, 68, is seeking a third term after drawing a challenge from Rep. Julia Letlow.

Cassidy was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict President Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial. Trump endorsed Letlow in January and urged her to run against the incumbent.

Letlow, 45, won a special election in 2021 for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District after her husband died of COVID-19 complications before he could take office. She has criticized Cassidy for breaking with the party on key votes.

Cassidy, a physician, has also clashed with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy, including changes to the hepatitis B schedule for infants. Letlow has questioned Cassidy’s conservative record, while Cassidy has pointed to her past support for diversity programs in schools.

State Treasurer John Fleming, who served in the first Trump administration, is also running and could benefit from the split between the two better-known candidates.

If no candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers will meet in a June 27 runoff. An Emerson College poll released in April suggests that outcome is likely.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is backing Cassidy. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Thursday that Cassidy has been “a terrific senator for Louisiana.”

On the Democratic side, former policy adviser Nick Albares, Navy veteran Gary Crockett and farmer Jamie Davis are competing for their party’s nomination. Louisiana has not elected a Democratic senator since 2008, and Trump carried the state with 60 percent of the vote in 2024.