By John Damon
Rep. Julia Letlow, backed by President Donald Trump, won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Louisiana on Saturday. Letlow defeated state Treasurer John Fleming in a runoff, giving Trump a significant victory in his 2026 effort to replace GOP lawmakers who crossed him. However, the win comes just weeks after Iowa voters rejected a Trump endorsement in their own gubernatorial primary, showing the limits of top-down influence when outsider candidates challenge the establishment.
How Letlow Secured the GOP Nomination
Letlow will now face Democrat Jamie Davis in the general election to replace GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy. Cassidy voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges in 2021, and Letlow made her loyalty to the president a centerpiece of her campaign.