BATON ROUGE, La. — U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Louisiana on Saturday, defeating state Treasurer John Fleming in a primary runoff and positioning herself to succeed incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy.
Letlow secured 56.9% of the vote to Fleming’s 43.1%, according to results reported by the Associated Press and election officials. The runoff followed a May 16 primary in which no candidate won a majority. Letlow led that contest with about 45% of the vote, followed by Fleming at roughly 28% and Cassidy at nearly 25%.
Cassidy, a Republican seeking a third term, became one of the first incumbent U.S. senators to lose renomination since 2012. His primary performance followed criticism from former President Donald Trump over Cassidy’s 2021 vote to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial.
Trump endorsed Letlow, who gave up her House seat representing Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District to run for Senate. In her victory speech, Letlow thanked Trump for his support. “President Trump, thank you for encouraging me to get into this race, thank you for your endorsement, Louisiana loves you,” she said.
Fleming, a former congressman who served in Trump’s first administration, mounted a competitive challenge in the runoff but fell short.
On the Democratic side, Jamie Davis, a row-crop farmer and former Tensas Parish police juror from Waterproof, Louisiana, won his party’s runoff against political consultant Gary Crockett with about 80% of the vote. Davis will face Letlow in the Nov. 3 general election.
Louisiana’s partisan lean makes the seat heavily favored to remain in Republican hands. Letlow, if elected, would become the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in the Senate.
Letlow first entered Congress in 2021 after winning a special election to fill the seat previously won by her late husband, Luke Letlow, who died from COVID-19 complications days before he was to be sworn in. She has served on the House Appropriations Committee.
Turnout in Saturday’s runoff was relatively low, consistent with typical primary runoff participation in the state. Final certified results are expected in coming days.
The race marks a significant shift in Louisiana’s Senate delegation, with Trump’s influence playing a prominent role in clearing the path for Letlow’s nomination.
