Louisiana residents will cast ballots Saturday in a restructured primary election that will determine the future of a Republican U.S. senator who faces opposition from President Donald Trump.
Sen. Bill Cassidy seeks a third term but must first navigate a Republican primary that features state Treasurer John Fleming and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, whom Trump backed in January.
This primary represents another chance for the president to settle scores with perceived political adversaries, including Republicans he views as unfaithful. Cassidy has ranked high on that list ever since his decision more than five years ago to vote for Trump’s conviction during his second impeachment trial after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. Trump was cleared of charges.
Democrats are not focusing on Louisiana in their campaign to regain control of the U.S. Senate. Should Cassidy lose in the primary, it would likely create a Senate Republican caucus with even stronger Trump loyalty and further showcase the president’s control over the party.
Voters will also select candidates for state Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and state school board positions, plus weigh five proposed amendments to the state constitution.
Louisiana postponed its U.S. House primaries following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the state’s current congressional districts, which feature a majority Black district that benefits Democrats. While U.S. House races appear on ballots, votes in those competitions will not be tallied.
Saturday’s elections mark a significant change from past Louisiana primaries, as candidates will compete in separate party primaries instead of the traditional jungle primary where all contenders shared one ballot. State legislators implemented this new format for specific offices in 2024, though the law didn’t take effect until 2026.
U.S. House races were initially scheduled to use the new primary format under the 2024 legislation, but state Republicans passed new rules Thursday to restore the jungle primary for U.S. House contests, pointing to time constraints following the Supreme Court ruling. The jungle primary will occur Nov. 3 alongside the general election, matching previous election cycles.
While East Baton Rouge Parish, which includes Baton Rouge, and Jefferson and Orleans Parishes in the New Orleans region have the largest populations statewide, St. Tammany Parish north of New Orleans along the Mississippi border delivered the highest vote totals in both the 2016 and 2024 Republican presidential primaries.
Caddo Parish in the northwest, which encompasses Shreveport, and Lafayette Parish typically carry more weight in Republican primaries compared to Democratic contests.
Trump achieved a narrow victory in a four-candidate primary in 2016, driven partly by strong support in Jefferson Parish and overcoming defeats to Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in East Baton Rouge and Caddo Parishes. He dominated the state eight years later in the 2024 primary against former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who had exited the race before the primary but continued showing unexpected strength in other states.
Cassidy’s earlier wins in 2014 and 2020 occurred under the previous primary format, where his primary competition came from Democrats.
Voting concludes at 8 p.m. local time (CT), or 9 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press will report vote totals and announce winners in competitive primaries for U.S. Senate, state Supreme Court, state Public Service Commission and state school board, plus five statewide ballot questions.
Only registered party members can participate in their party’s primary. Democrats cannot vote in Republican primaries and Republicans cannot vote in Democratic primaries. Independent or unaffiliated voters can choose either primary. Voters registered with other parties can only participate in nonpartisan races.
Louisiana had approximately 3 million registered voters as of May 1. Registered Democrats and Republicans each numbered around 1.1 million, with Democrats holding a small edge. About 813,000 voters had no party registration, while the rest belonged to other parties.
Louisiana’s updated primary format resembles the 2024 presidential primaries more than previous state primaries. Roughly 192,000 votes were recorded in the Republican primary and approximately 167,000 in the Democratic race. Each primary represented about 6% of registered voters.
Around 41% of Republican primary votes and roughly 45% of Democratic primary votes in 2024 were submitted before primary day.
Through Thursday, about 255,000 ballots had been cast for Saturday’s election, with approximately 44% from Democrats and about 41% from Republicans.
Early and absentee voting results typically appear in each parish’s first vote report, listed separately from Election Day in-person voting totals.
During the 2024 general election, the AP released initial results at 9:32 p.m. ET, 32 minutes after polls closed. The final vote update occurred at 11:56 p.m. ET, with over 99% of votes tallied.
The AP does not issue projections and only declares winners when no possible scenario exists for a trailing candidate to overcome the deficit. If a race remains undecided, the AP will report any significant developments, including candidate concessions or victory claims, while clarifying that no winner has been declared and explaining the reasoning.
Louisiana has no automatic recount provisions, but candidates may request and fund recounts of absentee and early votes. The AP may announce a winner in races eligible for recounts if the margin is too wide for a recount or legal challenge to alter the result.
Saturday marks 42 days until the June 27 primary runoff if necessary, 171 days until the Nov. 3 general election and rescheduled U.S. House jungle primaries, and 210 days until the Dec. 12 runoff.
