Trump's Endorsement Fails to Secure Louisiana Senate Seat

Trump's Endorsement Fails to Secure Louisiana Senate Seat for Letlow

The Louisiana Senate race has taken a surprise turn with President Donald Trump's endorsement of Rep. Julia Letlow failing to secure her a clear path to the upper chamber. The race remains a tight three-way contest between Letlow, Sen. Bill Cassidy, and State Treasurer John Fleming, with all three candidates appearing to have a real chance to make the June runoff. Cassidy, who has been openly skeptical of Trump and has breaks with the president, including his 2021 vote to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, has been vastly outspending Letlow on the airwaves. Despite Trump's endorsement, Letlow's campaign has been plagued by low name ID and has been massively outspent by Cassidy's war chest. A recent poll shows Letlow leading with 29 percent, followed by Fleming at nearly 24 percent and Cassidy at nearly 20 percent. Letlow's campaign claims to have the most momentum in the race, but her opponents are not backing down. Cassidy has been relentless in his attacks against Letlow, highlighting her past comments in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as well as her trading of stocks of defense contractors amid the war in Iran. Letlow has pushed back, pointing to Cassidy's support for Biden's economic stimulus package and his initial refusal to support Trump's third presidential bid. The outcome of the primary will be a test for Trump's endorsement and the power of his efforts to seek vengeance against Republicans who cross him. "The Trump endorsement has not had a close-out move," said GOP state Rep. Mike Bayham. "Cassidy was ready for her." As the race heats up, both Letlow and Fleming have been aggressively attacking Cassidy for his impeachment vote, calling it a deep betrayal of MAGA and disqualification for the Senate. "We're in the middle of a dogfight," said Mark Harris, a Cassidy aide. "Everyone's expectation is that she would shoot to a large lead and that we'd all be running from behind. But frankly I think they just weren't ready for this race." The outcome of the primary will reveal the viability of Trump's efforts to influence the election and the power of his endorsement at a time when his approval is at an all-time low.