Senate Slugfest All But Inevitable As Trump-Backed Lawmaker Enters Louisiana Race

Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) launched her bid for the United States Senate on Tuesday, which paves the way for a competitive primary battle between her and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy.

Letlow earned the endorsement of President Donald Trump over the weekend. In 2021, Cassidy voted to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The senator did play a critical role in getting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed in 2025.

“Highly Respected America First Congresswoman, Julia Letlow, of the wonderful State of Louisiana, is a Great Star, has been from the very beginning, and only gets better!” Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday.

“I know Julia well, have seen her tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and she is a TOTAL WINNER! A Proud Mother of two children, Julia is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Louisiana, and would continue doing so in the United States Senate,” he added.

In her launch, Letlow said that in “a state as conservative as ours, we shouldn’t have to wonder how our senator will vote when the pressure’s on. Louisiana deserves conservative champions, leaders who will not flinch.” The congresswoman took office in April 2021 due to a special election triggered by her husband’s death, as Rep.-elect. Luke Letlow died from COVID-19 shortly before his swearing-in, leaving behind Julia and their two children.

Before her announcement, Cassidy responded on X that he’s confident he will come out on top.

“Congresswoman Letlow called me this morning to say she was running. She said she respected me and that I had done a good job. I will continue to do a good job when I win re-election. I am a conservative who wakes up every morning thinking about how to make Louisiana and the United States a better place to live,” he wrote.

When the Trump endorsement dropped, he wrote that he is “proudly running for re-election as a principled conservative who gets things done for the people of Louisiana. If Congresswoman Letlow decides to run I am confident I will win.”

The Cook Political Report currently ranks the general election race as solidly Republican. POLITICO has reported that Cassidy is one of three Republicans running for Senate this cycle without the president’s backing yet, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

It’s unknown whether Trump will endorse any candidate in the heated Texas Senate primary between Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt. In Maine, Collins has not formally launched her bid yet, but is expected to run without any major primary challengers.

Republicans currently hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer believes that his path to Democratic control of the upper chamber runs through North Carolina, Alaska, Maine, and Ohio, according to The Wall Street Journal.