Sen. Bill Cassidy's Senate career is over after the Louisiana Republican failed to advance to a runoff in the state's GOP primary Saturday, four years after his vote to convict Donald Trump at impeachment made him a target in his own party.
Rep. Julia Letlow and challenger Clay Fleming secured the top two finishes, setting up a runoff between two Trump-aligned candidates. Both had drawn support from Trump and aligned Republican organizations heading into the race.
Cassidy, first elected in 2014, was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The Louisiana Republican Party censured him within days of that vote.
The result makes Cassidy the most prominent Republican senator to lose a reelection bid directly traceable to a January 6 impeachment vote. He had declined to moderate his position publicly, but the primary outcome confirmed the electoral cost inside a deep-red state.
Letlow, who holds the congressional seat previously held by her late husband Luke Letlow, enters the runoff as a sitting House member with statewide name recognition. Fleming had campaigned aggressively on Trump loyalty throughout the race.
The runoff between Letlow and Fleming is scheduled for later this fall. The winner will face the Democratic nominee in November's general election for the seat Cassidy has held since 2015.