--- title: "Louisiana Votes Today in a Senate Runoff That Began With Cassidy's Ouster" description: "Louisiana Republicans go to the polls Saturday in a U.S. Senate runoff between Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming — a race that exists only because incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy was knocked out in the primary, four years after his vote to convict President Trump." category: "Politics" category_url: https://herald.la/category/politics author: "Desmond Clarke" published: 2026-06-27T22:38:21.000Z updated: 2026-06-27T22:38:21.000Z canonical: https://herald.la/article/louisiana-votes-today-in-a-senate-runoff-that-began-with-cassidy-s-ouster tags: ["Louisiana", "U.S. Senate", "Julia Letlow", "John Fleming", "Bill Cassidy", "2026 midterms", "runoff"] --- # Louisiana Votes Today in a Senate Runoff That Began With Cassidy's Ouster Louisiana Republicans go to the polls Saturday in a U.S. Senate runoff between Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming — a race that exists only because incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy was knocked out in the primary, four years after his vote to convict President Trump. Louisiana voters decide a U.S. Senate runoff on Saturday, with polls closing in the evening and results expected later that night. The contest pits two Republicans — Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming — against each other, and it owes its existence to one of the year's most striking primary upsets. ## A historic primary defeat In the state's May 16 primary, two-term incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy finished a distant third, behind both Letlow and Fleming, and was eliminated. Because no candidate cleared 50 percent, the top two advanced to a head-to-head runoff, [NBC News reported](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/julia-letlow-advances-louisiana-senate-gop-runoff-sen-bill-cassidy-tra-rcna344954). The defeat was historic: Cassidy became one of the few elected incumbent senators in modern times to lose renomination. The widely cited cause was his January 2021 vote to convict Trump at the former president's second impeachment trial — a vote Trump did not forgive. Trump endorsed Letlow and campaigned against Cassidy, casting him as disloyal. ## A new primary system The race also unfolded under new election rules. For decades Louisiana used a "jungle primary," in which all candidates ran on a single ballot and any voter could participate. Gov. Jeff Landry, a Trump ally, signed [legislation in 2024](https://www.nola.com/news/politics/elections/julia-letlow-john-fleming-make-louisiana-senate-runoff-ousting-sen-bill-cassidy/article_39adad58-ef61-4371-a510-26a6229a7399.html) replacing it with closed partisan primaries. Cassidy's allies argued the change hurt him by shutting out the crossover Democratic and independent voters who had helped him win past elections; supporters of the switch said it simply lets each party choose its own nominee. ## Who's on the ballot **Julia Letlow** is a Republican congresswoman who has represented Louisiana's 5th District since 2021, when she won the seat after the death of her husband, Luke Letlow, who had been elected to it but died of COVID-19 before taking office. A former university administrator, she carries Trump's endorsement and backing from much of the state party establishment, [according to The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5928889-live-results-letlow-fleming-cassidy-louisana-senate-runoff/). **John Fleming** is Louisiana's state treasurer and a former U.S. representative who served from 2009 to 2017 and helped found the hardline House Freedom Caucus. He also held a post in the first Trump administration. Running as a populist conservative, Fleming has pressed the case that he is the truer outsider in the race even without a formal Trump endorsement. ## The stakes Louisiana is one of the most reliably Republican states in the country — Trump carried it by a wide margin in 2024 — so the winner of Saturday's Republican runoff will be heavily favored in the November general election against the Democratic nominee. Beyond the state line, the result is being read as another test of Trump's grip on Republican primaries and of how far his campaign against party members who crossed him can reach. Official returns from the [Louisiana Secretary of State](https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/GetElectionInformation/) are expected after polls close; the Herald will update this story when a winner is declared. ## Sources - [Live results: Letlow, Fleming duke it out in Louisiana Senate runoff after Cassidy primary ouster](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5928889-live-results-letlow-fleming-cassidy-louisana-senate-runoff/) - [Sen. Bill Cassidy loses GOP primary in Louisiana as two rivals advance to runoff](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/julia-letlow-advances-louisiana-senate-gop-runoff-sen-bill-cassidy-tra-rcna344954) - [Julia Letlow, John Fleming make Louisiana Senate runoff, ousting Sen. Bill Cassidy](https://www.nola.com/news/politics/elections/julia-letlow-john-fleming-make-louisiana-senate-runoff-ousting-sen-bill-cassidy/article_39adad58-ef61-4371-a510-26a6229a7399.html)