{"id":67504,"date":"2026-05-16T07:23:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T11:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/louisiana-senator-cassidy-fights-for-political-survival-in-trump-backed-primary\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T07:23:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T11:23:52","slug":"louisiana-senator-cassidy-fights-for-political-survival-in-trump-backed-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/louisiana-senator-cassidy-fights-for-political-survival-in-trump-backed-primary\/","title":{"rendered":"Louisiana Senator Cassidy Fights for Political Survival in Trump-Backed Primary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy faces a critical test of his political career on Saturday as voters decide whether the Republican moderate can overcome President Donald Trump’s efforts to unseat him in the state’s primary election.<\/p>

The physician-turned-senator, who drew Trump’s wrath by supporting his conviction during the 2021 Senate impeachment proceedings, trails in polling behind two challengers: Trump-endorsed U.S. Representative Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, a former congressman who worked in Trump’s initial administration. Data from RealClearPolitics.com shows Cassidy running third in the race.<\/p>

Should Cassidy lose, he would mark the first elected Senate incumbent to fail at renomination in more than ten years. However, the tight three-candidate contest will likely result in a June 27 runoff, and Trump faces potential embarrassment if Letlow loses to Fleming, whom state Republican leaders strongly support.<\/p>

“Dr John Fleming is the only conservative candidate in the race,” stated Christy Haik, a member of the powerful Republican State Central Committee and president of the conservative group, Louisiana State Republican Assembly.<\/p>

This Louisiana contest represents the newest chapter in Trump’s ongoing revenge campaign. Earlier this month, the president successfully targeted at least 5 of 7 Republican state legislators in Indiana who had opposed his congressional redistricting efforts designed to preserve the Republican House majority.<\/p>

Trump’s retribution tour continues next week in Kentucky, where he supports primary challenger Ed Gallrein against Republican U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a Trump critic who has championed releasing government documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, once associated with the president.<\/p>

Letlow, age 45, received Trump’s Senate backing before formally declaring her candidacy. She won her House seat in a special election following her husband Luke’s death from COVID after his 2020 election victory, also with Trump’s support. Cassidy has criticized her previous support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs during her tenure at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Letlow has countered with advertisements labeling both Cassidy and Fleming “Never Trumpers” while highlighting her presidential endorsement.<\/p>

The 68-year-old Cassidy, who specialized in liver disease treatment and co-founded a Baton Rouge clinic serving low-income patients, previously served in both the Louisiana Senate and U.S. House. He captured his current seat in 2014 by defeating former Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, becoming the first Republican to hold the position since 1883. Currently chairing the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, he secured reelection in 2020 with nearly 60% support.<\/p>

Despite endorsements from Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, plus a significant financial advantage of $5.5 million in campaign funds compared to Letlow’s $1.6 million and Fleming’s nearly $1.4 million according to Federal Election Commission filings, Cassidy’s monetary strength hasn’t translated into polling success.<\/p>

His troubles began with his position as one of seven Republicans supporting Trump’s impeachment following the January 6 Capitol attack by Trump supporters in 2021. Only three of those senators remain in office today.<\/p>

Cassidy subsequently urged Trump to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race after his indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents and refused to endorse Trump after he secured the Republican nomination.<\/p>

Following Trump’s White House return, Cassidy attempted reconciliation by backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for U.S. health secretary.<\/p>

However, Cassidy’s alignment with Trump health policies proved temporary, as he voiced doubts about Kennedy’s vaccine policy overhaul plans and joined Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski in slowing the health secretary’s congressional agenda.<\/p>

The latest friction occurred last month when Trump blamed Cassidy for blocking Casey Means’ nomination as U.S. surgeon general, compelling the president to select radiologist and Fox News contributor Nicole Saphier as his third choice for the position.<\/p>

Independent political observers suggest Cassidy could still advance from Saturday’s primary to face either Letlow or Fleming in a runoff election. Regardless of the ultimate winner, analysts expect the seat to remain under Republican control.<\/p>

The last elected incumbent to lose renomination was former Republican Senator Richard Lugar in 2012.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy faces a challenging Republican primary in Louisiana on Saturday against two rivals, including a Trump-endorsed candidate. The moderate senator earned Trump’s anger by voting to convict him during his 2021 impeachment trial and could become the first sitting Senate incumbent to lose renomination in over a decade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[833],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778930632265.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-hyM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67758,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/louisiana-republican-senator-bill-cassidy-defeated-in-gop-primary\/","url_meta":{"origin":67504,"position":0},"title":"Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy Defeated in GOP Primary","author":"Admin","date":"May 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Senator Bill Cassidy, one of the few remaining Republican senators who supported President Trump's impeachment following the January 6th Capitol incident, has been eliminated in Louisiana's Republican primary election. Trump had backed his challenger, Representative Julia Letlow, in the race.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68608,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/louisiana-senator-says-no-regrets-about-trump-impeachment-vote-despite-primary-loss\/","url_meta":{"origin":67504,"position":1},"title":"Louisiana Senator Says No Regrets About Trump Impeachment Vote Despite Primary Loss","author":"Admin","date":"May 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana expressed no remorse Monday for his vote to convict former President Trump during impeachment proceedings, even though it contributed to his primary election defeat. The senator said he was proud to have voted to uphold the Constitution during what he called a momentous decision.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779154728560.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779154728560.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779154728560.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779154728560.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":67431,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/louisiana-senator-faces-trump-backed-primary-challenge\/","url_meta":{"origin":67504,"position":2},"title":"Louisiana Senator Faces Trump-Backed Primary Challenge","author":"Admin","date":"May 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is fighting to keep his seat in Louisiana's Republican primary against a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump. The race stems from Cassidy's vote to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial following the January 6th Capitol attack.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778907073614.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778907073614.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778907073614.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778907073614.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55584,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/louisiana-senators-medical-background-clashes-with-political-future-in-rfk-jr-hearings\/","url_meta":{"origin":67504,"position":3},"title":"Louisiana Senator’s Medical Background Clashes with Political Future in RFK Jr. Hearings","author":"Admin","date":"April 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Senator Bill Cassidy faces a challenging balancing act as he questions Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in upcoming Senate hearings. The Louisiana Republican must navigate between his medical expertise opposing Kennedy's vaccine policies and his political survival in a primary where Trump has endorsed his opponent.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776833479886.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776833479886.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776833479886.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776833479886.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":69124,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/senate-moves-forward-with-bill-to-end-iran-conflict-after-gop-senator-switches-sides\/","url_meta":{"origin":67504,"position":4},"title":"Senate Moves Forward with Bill to End Iran Conflict After GOP Senator Switches Sides","author":"Admin","date":"May 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.S. Senate voted 50-47 to advance legislation requiring President Trump to withdraw from the Iran war or seek congressional approval. 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