Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy is out, finishing third in his own party’s primary Saturday behind two challengers who will meet in a runoff for his seat.
Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow took roughly 45% of the vote, with state Treasurer John Fleming at about 28% and Cassidy at 25%, according to ABC News. No candidate reached a majority, so Letlow and Fleming advance to a June 27 runoff.
The senator’s vulnerability traced to his 2021 vote to convict Trump at the impeachment trial after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Cassidy was one of seven Republicans to break ranks, and the 57-43 result missed the 67 votes needed for conviction, ABC News reported. (RELATED: Trump-Endorsed Julia Letlow Mounts Primary Bid Against Bill Cassidy)
Trump welcomed the outcome in a Truth Social post. “His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of legend, and it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!” the president wrote.
He praised the front-runner in a separate post on the platform. “Julia Letlow is a fantastic person and, after taking care of some additional business, will make a brilliant Senator for the Great People of Louisiana,” Trump wrote.
Cassidy referenced the president without naming him as he conceded Saturday night. “But you don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim the election was stolen, you don’t find a reason, you don’t manufacture some excuse,” he told supporters, according to NBC News.
Primary defeats for sitting senators are uncommon. Cassidy is the first elected incumbent senator to lose one since 2012, when a Tea Party challenger unseated Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, ABC News reported.
Letlow and Fleming now turn toward the June runoff in a state that leans firmly Republican. Trump carried Louisiana by 22 points in 2024 and that Republicans are well positioned to hold the seat in November, NBC News reported.