Trump-backed Letlow wins GOP primary for Sen. Bill Cassidy’s seat

Rep. Julia Letlow clinched the Louisiana GOP Senate nomination on Saturday, riding her endorsement from President Donald Trump to defeat state Treasurer John Fleming in a contentious runoff that became a referendum on MAGA credentials.

She will likely succeed ousted Sen. Bill Cassidy, who was ostracized by MAGA over his impeachment vote against Trump and finished in third in the first round of voting in May. His failure to qualify for the runoff marked a rare primary defeat for a Senate incumbent.

Letlow built on her first-place finish in the May primary, overcoming the self-funding Fleming, who made the race competitive by touting his conservative bona fides and bear-hugging the president. Along with Trump’s endorsement, she also was lifted by backing from Gov. Jeff Landry and other prominent Louisiana Republicans, like House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

In deep-red Louisiana, Letlow will almost certainly win the seat in November.

Landry served as Letlow’s most vocal surrogate, dispatching his own staff to her campaign and pressuring donors to open their wallets. Helping Letlow earn a Senate seat gives him another ally in Washington and puts him on solid footing in the face of a potential primary opponent when he’s up for reelection next year.

Letlow, a disciplined messenger and reliable Republican vote in the House, also earned the support of Louisiana business leaders and posted solid fundraising numbers in the race.

It’s also another endorsement badge for Trump, who has been largely successful at picking winners this primary season, with some notable recent exceptions, like Rick Jackson’s win in Georgia and Zach Lahn’s win in Iowa.

Letlow survived attacks by her opponents that she was insufficiently conservative; both Fleming and Cassidy assailed her for comments she made in a 2020 video showing her speaking in support of diversity initiatives when she was interviewing for a job as president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Letlow has since disavowed those programs.

She became the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in the House when she won a special election in March 2021 to fill the seat of her deceased husband, who died from Covid in December 2020 shortly before he was supposed to take office. She jumped into the Senate race to challenge Cassidy with Trump’s endorsement.

A former House Freedom Caucus founder, Fleming also served in several roles in the White House during Trump’s first term. He also ran as a Trump ally, despite not earning the president’s endorsement.