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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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President Donald Trump declared that Senator Bill Cassidy’s political career was effectively "over" after the Louisiana Republican was defeated in a GOP primary by a Trump-endorsed challenger—just days before another critic of the president faces a closely watched Republican contest.
Cassidy has long faced backlash from Trump and his supporters after voting to convict the president during his second impeachment trial following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. On Saturday, Cassidy was defeated in Louisiana’s Republican primary by U.S. Representative Julia Letlow, who had secured Trump’s endorsement.
Following the result, which sends Letlow into a June 27 runoff against state Treasurer John Fleming, Trump praised Letlow while taking aim at Cassidy over his impeachment vote. The result demonstrates the hold that Trump has over the GOP as he wages a campaign to punish politicians who have crossed him.
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“Bill Cassidy’s political career is over,” Trump wrote, adding that “it’s nice to see” the Louisiana senator defeated.
In his concession speech, Cassidy, without mentioning Trump, said, "Our country is not about one individual. It is about the welfare of all Americans and it is about our Constitution."
“And if someone doesn’t understand that and attempts to control others through using the levers of power, they’re about serving themselves. They’re not about serving us. And that person is not qualified to be a leader," he added.
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Louisiana GOP Primary Election Results
Cassidy faced off against Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming in Saturday’s election.
Letlow had been endorsed by Trump in January, having entered politics after her husband Luke Letlow, who was elected to the U.S. House in 2020, died of COVID-19 before he was sworn in. Julia Letlow won the seat in March 2021 and was reelected in 2022 and 2024.
Polling before the race had shown a close contest. With 99 percent of the votes counted, Letlow won 44.8 percent of the vote, Fleming 28.3 percent, beating Cassidy who got 24.8 percent, according to The Associated Press. Mark Spencer was fourth with 2.1 percent.
After the results came in, Letlow thanked Trump as “the best president this country has ever had,” adding that voters had sent “a clear message” that they want an “America First” candidate who will not “turn her back on Louisiana voters.”
"Louisiana made it clear tonight: we are ready for strong conservative leadership that will stand with President Trump and never waver," she wrote on X.
Republicans face the possibility of losing control of Congress in November’s midterm elections and the runoff between Letlow and Fleming will likely determine Louisiana’s next senator because of the state’s Republican leanings.
On the other side of the aisle, Jamie Davis came first in the Democratic primary, winning 47.4 percent of the vote. In second was Gary Crockett, barely ahead of Nicholas Albares, with both candidates on 26.3 percent and only around 300 votes separating them.
Donald Trump Relishes Bill Cassidy Defeat
Cassidy was seeking a third term in the U.S. Senate but had sparked the anger of Trump who has accused him of being disloyal. In 2021, Cassidy was one of only seven GOP senators who voted to convict the president during his impeachment trial that followed the January 6l riot.
Trump also criticized Cassidy, a physician who is chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, for blocking the nomination of Casey Means for surgeon general. This was also criticized by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and allies of his Make America Healthy Again movement.
Trump appeared to take delight in Cassidy’s defeat after the results came in, posting on social media how Cassidy had “voted to impeach me on preposterous charges that were fake then, and now, are criminally insane!”
“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!” Trump added.
Cassidy did not mention Trump by name in his concession speech but NBC News noted he did appear to reference the president, especially false claims that the 2020 U.S. election was stolen.
Cassidy said that in a democracy, even if the result does not go your way, “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.”
Thomas Massie's Lead Halved in New Kentucky Poll
The Louisiana primary comes amid campaigns by Trump to punish politicians who have angered him. Earlier this month, he helped dislodge five of seven Indiana state senators who had rejected his redistricting plan.
On Tuesday, In Kentucky, U.S. Representative Thomas Massie will face a Trump-backed challenger, Ed Gallrein. Massie has angered Trump by opposing his tax legislation, pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and coming out against his decision to go to war with Iran.
Massie is slightly ahead of Gallrein, 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent in the latest polling for Big Data Poll of Kentucky’s fourth district. This was a dip in support from the 52.4 percent he had last month, compared with Gallrein’s 47.6 percent.
This polling released Friday showed a dip in support from the 52.4 percent Massie had last month, compared with Gallrein’s 47.6 percent. “The race has tightened, but that’s almost entirely due to increased turnout projections for voters over the age of 45,” Big Data Poll director Rich Baris, said in a statement.
Update 5/17/2026 6:28 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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