GOP Digest — June 29, 2026 | Trump-Backed Julia Letlow Wins Louisiana Senate Runoff

Julia Letlow wins GOP Senate runoff, completing Trump's revenge on Cassidy:

Rep. Julia Letlow won Saturday's Republican runoff for retiring Sen. Bill Cassidy's seat, defeating State Treasurer John Fleming 57%–43%. She made President Trump's endorsement the centerpiece of her pitch in the deep-red state, all but locking in another America First ally for the GOP's Senate ranks.

Trump's primary machine rolls on:

The Louisiana result is the latest validation of the president's grip on the GOP base. Trump has issued more than 300 endorsements this cycle, with Trump-backed candidates winning roughly 98% of their primaries, per Ballotpedia. Cassidy's 2021 impeachment-conviction vote made the seat a top target.

November matchup set:

Letlow advances to face Democrat Jamie Davis, who took his party's nomination with 80% over Gary Crockett. Republicans enter heavily favored: Louisiana hasn't elected a Democratic senator since Mary Landrieu in 2008, and analyst Jim Engster called a Davis upset "a political miracle." The general election is November 3.

Closed-primary debut narrows the field:

Saturday was the first major test of Louisiana's new closed party primary, with each party's voters choosing only their own candidates. Estimated turnout was about 18% of registered voters, a structure that consolidated Republican support behind the Trump-endorsed front-runner.

Cassidy collapse shows the cost of crossing Trump:

Cassidy, who broke with the party to convict Trump, was routed in his bid for renomination — drawing roughly 99,000 votes this cycle versus about 1.228 million in his last open-primary race, a stark measure of how far his standing fell with GOP voters.