Rep. Julia Letlow, a U.S. House member endorsed by President Donald Trump, wins the Louisiana Republican Senate runoff for the seat held by retiring Sen. Bill Cassidy’s successor track, NBC News and other outlets project. Letlow defeats Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming in the runoff election.
All outlets describe the race as part of Trump’s effort to advance preferred candidates in Republican primaries. They note that Letlow and Fleming finished ahead of Cassidy in Louisiana’s May 16 primary, after Trump publicly criticized and denounced Cassidy following his vote to convict him during Trump’s 2021 impeachment.
The runoff follows Louisiana’s primary rules, which require a runoff when no candidate receives a majority in the initial primary. In the runoff, Letlow largely centers her campaign around Trump’s endorsement, and multiple outlets frame the win as another result for Trump’s influence in GOP nominating contests. The final projections describe Letlow as the Republican nominee who will move forward in the general election for the Senate seat.
