Trump-endorsed Republican Rep.
Julia Letlow of Louisiana decisively defeated State Treasurer John Fleming in a high-stakes GOP primary runoff to replace an ousted senator who had voted to convict President Donald Trump.
According to the Daily Caller, Letlow captured 56.5% of the vote to Flemings 43.5%, with The Associated Press reporting those figures when 69% of ballots had been tallied. In a state that has grown increasingly Republican and culturally conservative, the 45-year-old congresswoman now stands as the overwhelming favorite to win the November general election and succeed outgoing two-term Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who finished a distant third in the May primary and failed even to reach the runoff.
Trumps influence loomed large over the race, as the president announced in January that he would endorse Letlow just three days before she formally entered the contest to unseat Cassidy. Fleming, 74, a former congressman who served from 2009 to 2017 and co-founded the hardline House Freedom Caucus, had been campaigning for the Senate seat since December 2024, positioning himself as a staunch Trump ally and movement conservative.
Flemings rsum includes work as a physician and businessman, service in the U.S. Navy, and several posts in Trumps first administration, underscoring his long-standing ties to the populist right. Yet Republican voters ultimately rallied behind Letlow, signaling that loyalty to Trumps current endorsements may now carry more weight than past service in his administration.
Cassidys political downfall can be traced directly to his decision in February 2021 to join Democrats in voting to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. He was one of only seven Republican senators to support conviction on the charge of incitement of insurrection stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, a move that infuriated much of the GOP base in his home state.
The Senate fell short of the two-thirds majority required to convict, and Trump was acquitted of incitement of insurrection, but Cassidys break with his partys grassroots proved politically devastating. In his first appearance on the ballot since that vote, Cassidy managed just 24.8% in the initial primary round, far behind Letlows 44.8% and Flemings 28.3%, a stark rebuke from conservative voters.
Letlow, who has represented Louisiana in the House since winning a March 2021 special election, first entered Congress under tragic circumstances. Her late husband, Luke Letlow, had been elected to the same House seat in December 2020 but died later that month from complications of COVID-19 before he could be sworn in, prompting the special election that brought her to Washington.
Before her congressional career, Letlow built a professional profile in academia, holding a doctorate in communications and serving as director of external affairs and strategic communications at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM). Records obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation in January show that during her tenure at ULM, she played a leading role in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus, a contrast with her later rhetoric against left-wing education agendas.
One of the first things I would do: I believe we need a division on this campus, a division of diversity, equity, and inclusion with leadership that goes all the way to the top with a full staff, Letlow said in a 2020 video recorded as part of her interview for the ULM presidency. Since entering electoral politics, however, the Republican has publicly opposed woke ideology in education, aligning herself with a broader conservative pushback against progressive cultural policies in schools and universities.
Trumps endorsement framed Letlow as a proven ally and reliable conservative vote in Washington, reinforcing her appeal to the GOP base. I know Julia well, have seen her tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and she is a TOTAL WINNER! Trump declared in his January Truth Social post backing her bid, adding, 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.
National Republicans quickly celebrated her victory as a sign that Louisiana will remain firmly in the GOP column and that the partys Senate majority can be strengthened with another solid conservative. Congratulations, Julia Letlow! Im looking forward to keeping Louisiana red, and welcoming a new conservative ally to our Republican Majority in the U.S. Senate, Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement to the DCNF.
Letlow is widely expected to defeat Democratic nominee Jamie Davis, who secured his partys primary runoff on the same day, in a state where Democrats have struggled to gain traction for years. Her win not only cements Trumps continued sway over Republican primaries but also signals that GOP voters remain eager to punish those, like Cassidy, who broke with the president and sided with Democrats at a pivotal moment.
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