Cassidy falls short as Louisiana Senate race heads to runoff
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Bill Cassidy, left, and Julia Letlow address supporters Saturday night. Photos: Michael DeMocker/Getty Images; Kathleen Flynn/Getty Images
Sen. Bill Cassidy failed to finish in the top two spots in Louisiana's Republican Senate primary on Saturday.
- The race now goes to a June 27 runoff between Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming.
Why it matters: It's a win for President Trump, who backed Letlow and urged voters to oust Cassidy, whom he's described as "very disloyal."
The big picture: Letlow got 45%, Fleming got 28% and Cassidy got 25%, according to results from the secretary of state.
- Cassidy told supporters: "Our country is not about one individual. … It is about the welfare of all Americans, and it is about the Constitution."
- Letlow said at her victory party: "I want to say thank you to a very special man who you all know — the best president this country has ever had, President Donald Trump."
Driving the news: Cassidy ran afoul of Trump when he voted to convict the president during his Senate impeachment trial over the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
- Trump was acquitted, but he's sought retribution against Republicans who supported the impeachment effort.
- Cassidy also helped torpedo Casey Means' nomination for surgeon general, a move that drew the ire of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the MAHA movement.
Zoom in: Saturday marked the first time in more than 50 years that Louisiana used a closed-primary system to choose its U.S. senator, a change widely viewed as putting Cassidy at a disadvantage.
- In his previous primary victories, Cassidy's main opposition came from Democrats.
- The closed-primary system was blamed for confusion at the polls Saturday, especially for "no party" voters, who could fill out a declaration to choose a party primary.
Zoom out: Louisiana voters also rejected five constitutional amendments. Gov. Jeff Landry backed four of them, KATC reports.
- The public service commissioner race is headed to a runoff between Republicans John Young and Stephanie Hilferty.
- See the full results.
Meanwhile, the legal battles continue over the U.S. House races, which Landry suspended so the state can redraw its congressional map.
- The races were still on Saturday's ballots, but the secretary of state says the votes won't count.
- A bill is moving through the Legislature to invalidate the thousands of ballots that were cast and have a jungle primary in November, the Louisiana Illuminator reports.
- State representatives are expected to vote on a new congressional map this week that could reshape Black representation.
By the numbers: About 800,000 ballots were cast for each of the constitutional amendments, representing about a 27% voter turnout, the SOS says.
- The full election turnout percentages will be delayed up to two weeks, a press release says, due to extra paperwork required with the new closed primary system.
- The state had 2.9 million registered voters as of May 1.
What's next: The runoffs are June 27.
