The 2026 Louisiana Senate race: Bill Cassidy's defeat and Julia Letlow's win

Active · last development Nov 3: “Republican Julia Letlow wins Louisiana Senate seat”

Louisiana's 2026 Senate race became a test of President Donald Trump's hold on his party. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 trial, lost the Republican primary in May, Rep. Julia Letlow, whom Trump endorsed, won the nomination in a June runoff, and she won the seat in November, defeating Democrat Jamie Davis.[1][2][3]

Overview updated Nov 5, 2026

See the timeline
Bill Cassidy
What this arc covers

The 2026 Republican primary for Louisiana's U.S. Senate seat: Julia Letlow's Trump-backed challenge to Sen. Bill Cassidy, Cassidy's primary loss, and Letlow's runoff win over John Fleming. Letlow then won the seat in November, defeating Democrat Jamie Davis.

Earliest story we hold Jan 18, 2026 · 7 stories · 37 sources (counted once each) · 289 days

Part ofLouisianaBill CassidyDonald TrumpUnited States SenateDemocratic PartyGOP Senate

Background

Rep. Julia Letlow of Louisiana announced in January 2026 that she would challenge Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy in the primary, after President Donald Trump endorsed her.[4] Cassidy had voted to convict Trump in his impeachment trial after the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. In the May 16 primary he finished third, behind Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming, ending his bid for a third term.[1][5] Letlow, who made Trump's endorsement the centerpiece of her campaign, beat Fleming in the June 27 runoff and became the favorite to win the seat in November,[2][6] which she did.[3]

Supporting stories (6)
  1. Sen. Bill Cassidy loses GOP primary in Louisiana, as two rivals advance to a runoff
  2. Trump-backed Julia Letlow takes victory in Louisiana GOP Senate primary runoff
  3. Republican Julia Letlow wins Louisiana Senate seat
  4. With Trump’s backing, Rep. Julia Letlow launches a primary challenge against Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy
  5. Bill Cassidy loses Louisiana Republican primary to Fleming and Trump-backed Letlow
  6. Trump-backed Letlow faces Fleming in Louisiana GOP Senate runoff

Overview updated Nov 5, 2026

Part of The 2026 Senate races

  1. The 2026 Massachusetts Senate race: Ed Markey vs. Seth MoultonOct 15, 2025 – Nov 3, 2026
  2. The 2026 Wyoming Senate race: Harriet Hageman vs. James ByrdDec 19, 2025 – Nov 4, 2026
  3. The 2026 Alaska Senate race: Dan Sullivan vs. Mary PeltolaJan 12 – Nov 10, 2026
  4. The 2026 Louisiana Senate race: Bill Cassidy's defeat and Julia Letlow's winThis arcJan 18 – Nov 3, 2026
  5. The 2026 Texas Senate race: James Talarico vs. Ken PaxtonApr 28 – Nov 9, 2026
  6. The 2026 Michigan Senate race: Abdul El-Sayed vs. Mike RogersAug 3 – Nov 7, 2026
  7. The 2026 South Carolina Senate race: Darline Graham vs. Annie AndrewsAug 4 – Nov 4, 2026
  8. The 2026 Kansas Senate race: Roger Marshall vs. Adam HamiltonAug 5 – Nov 4, 2026
Show remaining 11 arcs
  1. The 2026 Maine Senate race: Troy Jackson vs. Susan CollinsNov 14, 2024 – Nov 3, 2026
  2. The 2026 Ohio Senate race: Jon Husted vs. Sherrod BrownJan 15, 2025 – Nov 4, 2026
  3. The 2026 Florida Senate race: Ashley Moody vs. Angie NixonJan 16, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026
  4. The 2026 Kentucky Senate race: Andy Barr vs. Charles BookerFeb 20, 2025 – Nov 4, 2026
  5. The 2026 New Hampshire Senate race: Chris Pappas vs. John E. SununuMar 12, 2025 – Nov 3, 2026
  6. The 2026 Illinois Senate race: Juliana Stratton vs. Don TracyApr 23, 2025 – Nov 1, 2026
  7. The 2026 Minnesota Senate race: Peggy Flanagan vs. Michele TafoyaApr 29, 2025 – Nov 3, 2026
  8. The 2026 Georgia Senate race: Jon Ossoff vs. Mike CollinsMay 5, 2025 – Nov 3, 2026
  9. The 2026 Nebraska Senate race: Pete Ricketts vs. Dan OsbornJul 8, 2025 – Nov 4, 2026
  10. The 2026 North Carolina Senate race: Roy Cooper vs. Michael WhatleyJul 24, 2025 – Nov 3, 2026
  11. The 2026 Iowa Senate race: Josh Turek vs. Ashley HinsonAug 29, 2025 – Nov 3, 2026

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Nov 3– 5Republican Julia Letlow wins Louisiana Senate seat10 articles · 6 sources
1 left, 4 center, 1 right
Oct 19Julia Letlow, Jamie Davis offer different visions for Louisiana in U.S. Senate race3 articles · 2 sources
0 left, 2 center, 0 right
Jun 27– 28Trump-backed Julia Letlow takes victory in Louisiana GOP Senate primary runoff7 articles · 6 sources
3 left, 1 center, 2 right

Who covered it, over timeshare of the sources publishing each week, by side

Jan 12, 2026 - Nov 8, 2026

Share of the sources publishing each week that covered it

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Jan 12, 2026Jun 8, 2026Nov 2, 2026

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Week of Nov 2, 2026 - Nov 8, 2026: 1 left, 4 center, 1 right, 1% of the sources that published that week · 10 articles

Show every week as a table
WeekLeftCenterRightArticlesShare
Jan 12, 2026 - Jan 18, 202611353%
Jan 19, 2026 - Jan 25, 202622595%
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May 11, 2026 - May 17, 202669104514%
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Oct 19, 2026 - Oct 25, 20260203under 1%
Oct 26, 2026 - Nov 1, 202600000%
Nov 2, 2026 - Nov 8, 2026141101%

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

30% left · 38% center · 32% right of 37 sources on the spectrum, across 7 stories.

Every storynewest first

  1. November 2026

    1. Nov 3– 5Republican Julia Letlow wins Louisiana Senate seat10 articles · 6 sources
      1 left, 4 center, 1 right

  2. October 2026

  3. June 2026

    1. Jun 27– 28Trump-backed Julia Letlow takes victory in Louisiana GOP Senate primary runoff7 articles · 6 sources
      3 left, 1 center, 2 right
    2. Jun 27Trump-backed Letlow faces Fleming in Louisiana GOP Senate runoff5 articles · 5 sources
      2 left, 1 center, 2 right

  4. May 2026

    1. May 17Bill Cassidy loses Louisiana Republican primary to Fleming and Trump-backed Letlow5 articles · 5 sources
      1 left, 3 center, 1 right
    2. May 16– 17Sen. Bill Cassidy loses GOP primary in Louisiana, as two rivals advance to a runoff43 articles · 23 sources
      5 left, 7 center, 9 right

  5. January 2026