Trump-Backed Candidate Defeats Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana GOP Primary

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy lost his bid for renomination in the Republican primary over the weekend. Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming both received more votes than Cassidy on Saturday. The two will face each other in a runoff next month for the Republican nomination.

Primary Outcome and Reactions Former Sen.

Mitt Romney called Cassidy's defeat a loss for the country. Romney described Cassidy as an exceptionally brilliant and creative mind who chairs healthcare and is a person of character. President Trump posted on Truth Social that Cassidy's disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now part of a legend and that it is nice to see his political career is over.

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said the result was predictable given polling that showed Cassidy in trouble for well over a year. Kennedy called Trump's endorsement of Letlow the icing on the cake.

Cassidy voted to convict Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial over the Jan. U.S. Capitol. He is the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012. Sen. Lindsey Graham said on NBC's Meet the Press that Cassidy's loss was a direct result of his 2021 vote.

Graham stated there is no room in the party to destroy Trump's agenda or to destroy him and his family as a Republican. Cassidy told supporters in his concession speech that when you participate in democracy sometimes it does not turn out the way you want it to.

He added that you do not pout, whine, or claim the election was stolen. Bill Cassidy's departure is a loss for the country.