He finished behind U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who capitalized on the power of Trump's endorsement as the president continues purging his party of people he views as disloyal, and John Fleming, the state treasurer. Letlow and Fleming will compete in a runoff on June 27.
The result was the latest example of Trump's unrivaled power over the Republican Party as he approaches the twilight of his second term with persistent inflation, sagging approval ratings and dissatisfaction over the war with Iran. Unlike some other senators who declined to run again after crossing Trump, Cassidy pushed hard for reelection and spent nearly double the combined amount of his opponents.
But none of that was enough for Cassidy to qualify for a runoff, let alone win a third term.
“Our country is not about one individual,” he told supporters after his loss. “It is about the welfare of all Americans, and it is about the Constitution.”
Letlow, on the other hand, swiftly embraced Trump's central role when she spoke at her victory party.
“I want to say thank you to a very special man who you all know, the best president this country has ever had, President Donald Trump,” she said while flanked by her two young children.
Asked about Cassidy's vote at the impeachment trial, Letlow called it “a sign that he had turned his back on the Louisiana voters.”
Trump cheered the victory on social media, saying “that’s what you get by voting to Impeach an innocent man.”
Trump has been purging his party
Trump unloaded on Cassidy the morning of the election, calling him “a disloyal disaster” and “a terrible guy." Later that night, the senator made a thinly veiled reference to the attacks.
“Insults only bother me if they come from somebody of character and integrity, and I find that people of character and integrity don’t spend their time attacking people on the internet,” Cassidy said.
The Louisiana primary comes in the middle of a month of campaigns by Trump to exact retribution on politicians who have crossed him. On May 5 he helped dislodge five of seven Indiana state senators who rejected his redistricting plan.
Next Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky will face a Trump-backed challenger, Ed Gallrein, in another Republican primary. Massie angered Trump by opposing his signature tax legislation over concerns about the national debt, pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and opposing his decision to go to war with Iran.
After Cassidy's defeat, Trump wrote on social media that “Tom Massie, a major Sleazebag, is even worse.” He encouraged voters to "get this LOSER out of politics in Tuesday’s Election.”
It's a striking amount of intraparty turmoil as Republicans face the possibility of losing control of Congress in November's midterm elections.
The runoff between Letlow and Fleming, a former U.S. House member and Trump administration official, will likely determine Louisiana's next senator because of the state's Republican leanings.
On the Democratic side, Jamie Davis advanced to a runoff, but the second spot remained too close to call between Nicholas Albares and Gary Crockett.
