Julia Letlow wins Louisiana GOP Senate nomination after Trump endorsement

Trump's backing propels Letlow

President Trump urged Julia Letlow to enter the race months ago, writing on social media in January:

RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!

Letlow built on that endorsement and a first-place finish in the May primary. She was further lifted by Governor Jeff Landry and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who called her a "strong conservative fighter." After Trump-skeptical Senator Bill Cassidy failed to advance, Senators Marsha Blackburn, Joni Ernst and Cindy Hyde-Smith also backed her.

Fleming's conservative challenge falls short

State Treasurer John Fleming, a former congressman and Trump administration official, mounted a vigorous effort to outflank Letlow on the right. He questioned her past comments on diversity, equity and inclusion, which she later disavowed as having been "hijacked by the radical left."

Anybody who looked at us on paper would say, well, I'm the obvious MAGA Republican Trump choice.

Limited public polling in the runoff's final days showed the race tightening, but Letlow held on.

Cassidy ousted over impeachment vote

Senator Bill Cassidy's third-place finish in the primary marked a rare defeat for a sitting senator. Cassidy angered Trump and the party base by voting to convict the president during the 2021 impeachment trial. His removal from the contest was a high-profile victory for the MAGA movement.

General election outlook

Letlow enters November as an overwhelming favorite in deep-red Louisiana. If she wins the general election, she will become the first Republican woman to represent the state in the Senate. Democrat Jamie Davis, a Louisiana farmer, won his party's runoff and will be the Democratic nominee.

A Letlow loss would be inexplicable, but it is somehow possible.

How the race unfolded