Louisiana Republicans choose Senate nominee in Trump-backed runoff

Louisiana Republicans voted Saturday in a Senate runoff that tested how far Donald Trump’s backing could carry a candidate in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 2008. Julia Letlow, the Trump-endorsed candidate and an ally of Gov. Jeff Landry, led the May 16 Republican primary with 45 percent. John Fleming followed with 28 percent, while incumbent Bill Cassidy finished third with 24 percent and was denied a third term.

The race turned on more than the former president’s endorsement. Fleming ran as a conservative, pro-Trump candidate too, leaning on his record in the U.S. House, his time as Trump’s deputy chief of staff at the end of Trump’s first term and his service as state treasurer. Letlow’s campaign, by contrast, centered heavily on Trump’s support, making the runoff a direct test of whether national MAGA loyalty could outweigh local familiarity and governing experience.

Cassidy’s elimination carried its own political weight. He voted to convict Trump in the 2021 impeachment trial after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, putting him at odds with the party’s most powerful figure. His defeat left Republicans with an open Senate seat in a state that has become deeply reliable territory for the party in federal races.

Louisiana’s 2026 election rules also changed the contest itself. Beginning this year, the state uses a closed partisan primary and runoff system for U.S. Congress and certain other offices, replacing the old jungle primary format for those races. Saturday’s voting ran from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and absentee ballots had to be returned to registrars by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 26.

The winner of the runoff will advance to the November 3 general election, where Republicans are expected to remain favored in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 2008.