Trump-backed Letlow wins Louisiana Republican Senate runoff

By Nolan Mckendry
The Center Square

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won Louisiana’s Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Saturday, defeating state Treasurer John Fleming in a runoff that became a test of President Donald Trump’s influence over the state GOP.

Letlow will face Democrat Jamie Davis, a northeast Louisiana farmer, in the November general election for the seat now held by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. Cassidy, a two-term Republican, was eliminated in the May primary after finishing third behind Letlow and Fleming.

Fleming called Letlow shortly after her win to congratulate her, a conversation Letlow called “wonderful”. She also spoke with President Donald Trump, and said she looks forward to working with him.

In his concession speech, Fleming did not endorse Letlow in the general election. “We want to continue to make America strong by sending the best of the best there and fighting for the freedoms, the things that our founding fathers prepared us for, and it’s up to us to carry that on for the future,” Fleming said.

Trump’s endorsement defined the race from the start. The president backed Letlow before she formally entered the contest, seeking to replace Cassidy after his vote to convict Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The runoff also exposed a split inside the pro-Trump wing of the Louisiana Republican Party. Letlow campaigned as Trump’s endorsed candidate and drew support from Gov. Jeff Landry and U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Fleming, a former congressman and Trump administration official, argued he had the more conservative record and deeper ties to the MAGA movement.

The two campaigns were built quite differently. Letlow’s Senate committee reported about $5.4 million in receipts through June 7, including roughly $3.8 million transferred from other authorized committees. Fleming reported about $12.2 million in receipts, but nearly all of that came from $11.5 million in loans from the candidate.

The race turned increasingly negative in its final stretch. Fleming attacked Letlow over past comments about diversity, equity and inclusion from her time in higher education. Letlow, a former university administrator, said this year she opposes DEI policies. Fleming also shared an AI-generated video that depicted Letlow discussing DEI and referenced her late husband, Luke Letlow, drawing condemnation from Letlow’s campaign.

Letlow entered Congress in 2021 after her husband Luke Letlow, who had been elected to the 5th Congressional District seat, died from COVID-19 before taking office. She later won the special election to fill the vacancy and became the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Louisiana.

Her Senate win also leaves her House seat open, creating a separate race for the sprawling 5th District, which stretches from northeast Louisiana into parts of the Baton Rouge region.

Saturday’s runoff was part of Louisiana’s new closed-primary system for certain federal and statewide offices, a major shift from the state’s longtime “jungle primary” model. Under the system, Republicans and Democrats choose party nominees before the general election, while unaffiliated voters may participate in one party’s primary but must remain with that party through any runoff.

In the Democratic runoff, Davis defeated businessman and Navy veteran Gary Crockett. Davis enters the general election as a longshot in a state Trump carried by 22 percentage points in 2024.

If elected, Letlow would become Louisiana’s first female Republican U.S. senator.