A Trump-backed challenger has defeated a two-term Republican senator who voted to convict the president at his 2021 impeachment trial.
Congresswoman Julia Letlow will advance to a runoff next month, ousting incumbent Bill Cassidy, who President Donald Trump branded a 'disloyal disaster' ahead of Louisiana's high-stakes contest.
State treasurer John Fleming, another Trump-aligned candidate, also advanced to the Republican runoff for Louisiana's Senate seat.
The top two candidates, Letlow and Fleming, will face off again in late June as neither won a simple majority. The candidate who wins the runoff will then run against a Democratic candidate in the general election.
Cassidy, 68, was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump when the president was impeached after the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Trump was acquitted after the Senate vote fell short of the two-thirds majority required.
Of the seven Republicans who voted to convict him, only three still serve in the Senate: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Bill Cassidy.
During his re-election campaign, the Louisiana senator sought to repair his strained relationship with Trump.
I don't really think President Trump likes me that much, but we work really well together, Cassidy told reporters last week, pointing to several bills he sponsored that were later signed into law by the president.
However, Trump had made it clear he wanted Cassidy gone and encouraged Letlow to challenge the senator.
In her victory speech, Letlow expressed gratitude to Trump, saying, Thank you to a very special man - the best president this country has ever had.
In his remarks post-election, Cassidy did not mention Trump by name but alluded to the president's false claims regarding the 2020 election.
Cassidy remarked, When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn't turn out the way you want it to... But you don't pout. You don't whine. You don't claim that an election was stolen from you.
American leaders, he emphasized, should prioritize the wellbeing of the public over loyalty to any single individual.
On Truth Social, Trump celebrated Cassidy's defeat, declaring, it's nice to see that his political career is OVER!
With the contest heading to a runoff, it remains uncertain how actively Trump will engage in the race moving forward.
Letlow, who made history as the first Republican woman elected to represent Louisiana in Congress, garnered about 45% of the vote in the primary.
Fleming, her opponent in the June primary runoff, previously served as a representative for Louisiana and worked under Trump. He narrowly edged out Cassidy with around 28% of the vote.
Yesterday, the people of Louisiana proved that a grassroots conservative can still compete, and win, even when the political establishment and outside dark money groups spend millions of dollars trying to destroy him, Fleming stated following the results.
