PATON Rogue, La. (AP) — Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy on Friday downplayed the impact of President Donald Trump’s endorsement of a Republican rival in a race that will test whether the two-term senator can survive the president’s efforts to purge the party of members who oppose him.
Cassidy expressed his confidence in re-election after filing paperwork for Louisiana’s May primary, officially launching him into the toughest race of his political career. His opponent, Republican Rep. Julia Letlow, received Trump’s endorsement before she formally announced her intention to run.
Cassidy, 68, is voting for the first time since voting to convict the president in Trump’s 2021 impeachment trial following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. When asked if he regretted his vote five years ago, he mentioned his work in Louisiana and said Trump never asked him that question.
“The people of our state want safer streets, they want to be healthier, they want more money in their pockets. I’ve worked with President Trump to make that happen time and time again,” Cassidy said. “That’s what the race should be deciding.”
Cassidy was censured by Louisiana Republicans for joining six other Republicans in voting to convict Trump. He has tried to mend ties with Trump and his supporters, including casting the deciding vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Letlow, who also filed candidacy papers in Baton Rouge, said Trump’s endorsement reflects “his need to have someone in the Senate that he can rely on.”
Cassidy’s campaign placed a mobile billboard outside the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office that displayed various attacks on Letlow, including calling her a “liberal.”
“I can tell you that President Trump would never endorse someone who is not a true America First conservative. That he chose me to endorse should be reassuring to people when they see these negative, hopeless ads,” Letlow said.
Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming is also running in the Republican primary alongside lesser-known Republican candidate Mark Spencer.
On the other side of the vote, Louisiana’s filing deadline came and went, with big-name Democrats choosing not to challenge the Senate. The last time the state had a Democrat in the Senate was Mary Landrieu, who served from 1997 to 2015.
Former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who served two terms in a typically red state, announced last year that he would not seek the Senate seat. Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Randall Gaines told The Associated Press that the party has also been in contact with former Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. He also served as a senior adviser to former President Joe Biden.
Gaines said both men believe “the current political climate is not conducive to Democrats winning the U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana.”
“We are building a transformative future. Successfully running for political office depends on timing and opportunity. Our strategy is to play the long game,” Gaines said.
Gaines did not say whether the party would support the other three Democrats who have qualified to run.
