U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy lost the Republican primary in Louisiana after years of criticism from Donald Trump supporters over his vote to convict Trump in the 2021 impeachment trial related to the January 6 Capitol attack.
Cassidy failed to secure enough support in the southern state on Saturday to advance to a runoff, finishing behind Representative Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming. The two will face off in a second round of voting on June 27.
The result underscores Trump's continued influence over the Republican Party as he targets politicians deemed disloyal, even amid mounting political pressure over inflation, falling approval ratings, and criticism of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump after the Capitol attack by Trump supporters seeking to overturn Trump's 2020 election defeat. While some Republicans who broke with Trump declined to seek reelection, Cassidy ran vigorously for a third six-year term and outspent his rivals significantly.
On election morning, Trump attacked Cassidy on social media, calling him "a disloyal disaster" and "a bad guy." Speaking after the loss, Cassidy appeared to indirectly respond to Trump's comments. "Insults only bother me if they come from someone with character and integrity," he told supporters.
He added: "Our country is not about a single individual. It is about the welfare of all Americans and about the Constitution."
Meanwhile, Letlow leveraged Trump's endorsement in her victory speech. "I want to say thank you to a very special man, ... the greatest president this country has ever had, President Donald Trump," she said.
She later described Cassidy's impeachment vote as evidence he had "turned his back on Louisiana voters." Trump celebrated Cassidy's defeat on social media, writing: "That's what you get when you vote to impeach an innocent man."
The Louisiana race is the latest in a series of elections where Trump has backed efforts to oust dissident Republicans. Earlier this month, several Indiana state senators were defeated after they rejected Trump's redistricting plan to secure more U.S. House seats for Republicans.
Saturday's elections also took place amid fallout from a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakening part of the Voting Rights Act related to district maps. While the Senate primary proceeded as scheduled, Louisiana officials postponed U.S. House primaries to redraw district boundaries. Civil rights groups have challenged the delay, arguing it violates both the U.S. and Louisiana Constitutions.
