Letlow, Fleming advance to runoff in Louisiana GOP Senate primary, CBS News projects

Politics Letlow, Fleming advance to runoff in Louisiana GOP Senate primary, CBS News projects By Kaia Hubbard, Kaia Hubbard Politics Reporter Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kaia Hubbard, Caroline Linton Caroline Linton Associate Managing Editor, Politics Caroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork. Read Full Bio Caroline Linton May 16, 2026 / 10:52 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — CBS News projects Rep. Julia Letlow and Louisiana state Treasurer John Fleming advanced to a runoff in Saturday's Senate Republican primary, knocking out incumbent GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy. Cassidy, 68, was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Mr. Trump in his impeachment trial after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021. And although he's emphasized his cooperation with the administration in recent years, the president endorsed Letlow in January, encouraging her to challenge Cassidy for the seat.  Letlow, 45, became the first Republican woman elected to represent Louisiana in Congress in 2021 after winning a special election for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District following the death of her husband, who died in 2020 from complications related to COVID-19 before he could be sworn into office. She's hammered Cassidy as disloyal to the GOP, claiming Louisiana "shouldn't have to wonder how our senator will vote when the pressure's on."Letlow had touted her endorsement from Mr. Trump, while Fleming, who worked in the first Trump administration and represented Louisiana in the U.S. House, had called himself "the only conservative MAGA Republican" in the race. In addition to his vote to impeach Mr. Trump, Cassidy has been at odds with the administration over HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership, despite delivering the key vote to advance Kennedy'...