Jeff Landry Backs Julia Letlow in May 16 Louisiana Primary as Bill Cassidy Trails in 3rd
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · May 14
Jeff Landry Backs Julia Letlow in May 16 Louisiana Primary as Bill Cassidy Trails in 3rd
5 articles · Updated · POLITICO · May 14
May 16's Louisiana GOP Senate primary has become a test of Gov. Jeff Landry’s clout, with Republicans saying he has aggressively pushed donors and allies to line up behind Rep. Julia Letlow against Sen. Bill Cassidy.
Polling shows Letlow narrowly ahead of Rep. John Fleming, with Cassidy running third and a runoff likely; a Letlow win would also advance the White House’s effort to unseat Cassidy over his 2021 Trump impeachment vote.
Landry’s intervention has drawn blowback inside the party as his approval rating fell to 43% in March from 58% a year earlier, and critics accuse him of using fear, veto power and donor pressure to shape outcomes.
The race has also spawned formal and public complaints: Cassidy filed an FEC complaint over fundraising tied to Letlow, while Fleming says Landry-backed attacks and even job overtures show how hard Letlow’s camp is pushing.
That fight sits atop rules Landry helped change in 2024, when Louisiana moved to closed partisan primaries — a system seen as making it harder for Cassidy to rely on crossover support.
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