Letlow’s entry into the Louisiana Senate primary is also the latest example of how Trump is using endorsements to reshape Republican ranks at the start of this year’s midterm campaign, while Democrats look for opportunities to win back control of the Senate. The president’s endorsement of the House member sets up a direct challenge to Cassidy, a senator who has struggled to regain Trump’s favor since the impeachment vote.
Trump’s decision came after Letlow made her move public Tuesday morning at an event in Baton Rouge, where she said in audio of her remarks obtained by The Associated Press that “It’s an honor to share with you, after the endorsement and encouragement from the president, the president of the United States, Trump, that today I will officially be announcing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate.” The announcement came after Trump pledged his support to Letlow on Saturday, according to AP reporting.
The endorsement also reflects a long-running break between Trump and Cassidy, which AP described as beginning after Cassidy voted to convict Trump during the 2021 impeachment trial following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Cassidy’s efforts to improve his standing with Trump were not enough, AP reported, even after he provided the decisive vote to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as health secretary despite concerns Cassidy had raised about Kennedy’s views on vaccines.
AP reported that Cassidy said he voted after receiving assurances that Kennedy would not pursue certain changes to U.S. vaccine policy, while Kennedy later proceeded to roll back U.S. vaccine recommendations. In the lead-up to the Senate campaign fight, AP also described how Cassidy has continued to signal a positive relationship with Trump on social media, including a red Trump hat pinned atop his campaign X account and a photo on his official Senate account.
The political stakes extend beyond Louisiana. AP reported that Trump is fighting a two-front effort at the beginning of the midterm campaigns—seeking to help Democrats lose while also trying to purge Republicans who, in Trump’s view, have defied him. The Letlow-Cassidy matchup places Trump in conflict with Senate Republican leadership, which backs incumbents as an emboldened Democratic effort seeks to regain control of the chamber.
Alex Latcham, director of the Senate Leadership Fund, a campaign organization aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, said Tuesday that “Anything that distracts from our efforts to beat Democrats in November is unhelpful.” The comment underscores the pressure GOP leaders face as Trump’s interventions risk turning some primaries into intraparty tests close to the general-election calendar.
AP reported that Trump’s pattern also includes other Republican targets and endorsements. The report said Trump pushed Sen. Thom Tillis toward the exits after the two clashed over cuts to healthcare programs in Trump’s signature legislation last year, and that Trump declined to endorse Sen. John Cornyn in a Texas primary while saying Sen. Susan Collins in Maine “should never be elected to office again.” AP also reported that Trump has declined to back a challenger to Collins, and that at least one former Republican Party chairman argued the president’s focus on “safe Republican seats” may not harm the GOP in the end.
In Louisiana, AP reported that Letlow had been considering a Senate bid since last year, when Trump’s strained relationship with Cassidy was already drawing Republican challengers. AP said Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry discussed with Trump last May the idea of Letlow running, and that Letlow was leaning against the idea at the time. AP also reported that Landry met with Trump on Friday before Trump pledged his support to Letlow on Saturday if she entered the race.
Beyond the immediate contest, AP described how the matchup reflects Trump’s influence beyond Washington primaries, including the president’s use of state-level politics. AP said Trump pledged to defeat Indiana state Senate Leader Rodric Bray after the state rejected a White House-backed plan for redrawing congressional maps, and Trump wrote on social media Saturday that Bray “betrayed the Republican Party, the President of the United States and everyone else who wants to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”