President Donald Trump's immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nomination races faces its latest test Saturday, as Louisiana holds primary runoff elections for the U.S.Senate.Six weeks after denying Trump-targeted GOP Sen.
Bill Cassidy a third six-year term in the Senate, Republican voters in the solidly red Gulf Coast state will choose between Rep.Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming for the now open seat.A Letlow victory in the GOP runoff would be another victory for Trump as he works to fill the halls of Congress with loyal lawmakers for his final two years in the White House.
But a win by Fleming would be the third high-profile endorsement setback for Trump in this spring's Republican primaries.Five years after he voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, Cassidy was sent packing.WATCH: CASSIDY DETAILS NEW BEHIND CLOSED DOORS CLASH WITH TRUMPSen.Bill Cassidy of Louisiana fist bumps a supporter during a campaign stop at a gun retailer and firing range in Baton Rouge on May 15, 2026, the eve of the state's Senate primary.
(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)Letlow, who was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January, grabbed 45% of the vote in the primary, with Fleming at roughly 28% and Cassidy at just under 25%.Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination and Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen.
Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012.Trump, celebrating Cassidy's defeat, said on social media that "it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!"Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, took a jab at Trump, saying, "When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn't turn out the way you want it to.But you don't pout, you don't whine.
You don't claim the election was stolen… You don't manufacture some excuse."President Donald Trump stands with Rep.Julia Letlow ...