President Donald Trump and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry have discussed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow challenging U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy in next year's Republican primary, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
The Republican governor's promotion of a new challenger to Cassidy reflects unease within Trump's base about the two-term senator. Cassidy voted to convict Trump in Trump's 2021 impeachment trial over the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. And Cassidy, who is a medical doctor, expressed doubts about Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation's health secretary before voting to confirm Kennedy.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate and have a favorable electoral map in the 2026 midterms to help them keep control. But Cassidy is among several GOP senators up for reelection next year who are facing challenging primaries over past moves to distance themselves from Trump.
For the senator, "the biggest hurdle is going to be the impeachment vote. That's what he has to overcome. And I don't think he has the mindset to say, 'I made a mistake,'" said Eddie Rispone, the Republican nominee for Louisiana governor in 2019 and a Cassidy supporter. "And Louisiana is a big Trump state."
Landry, a close Trump ally, spoke last month with the president about Letlow as a potential Senate candidate, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation. They were granted anonymity to share contents of a conversation they were not authorized to discuss publicly.