Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) launched a widely anticipated Senate campaign on Tuesday against Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) after a preemptive endorsement from President Donald Trump over the weekend.
Letlow, a third-term congresswoman, made the announcement at a private breakfast in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that was also attended by Cassidy, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Letlow enters a crowded primary with several other Republicans also vying to unseat Cassidy, but the Trump endorsement is expected to buoy her support with his base. Cassidy, seeking a third term, also faces Republican backlash for his vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The other Louisiana Republicans running for Senate this cycle include state Treasurer John Fleming, state Rep. Julie Emerson, and state Sen. Blake Miguez.
“My parents taught me well,” Letlow said at the event. “They taught me that when the Lord opens a door, you don’t walk through it — you run. It’s an honor to share with you today that I’m officially announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate.”
Politico first reported her announcement.
Trump posted to Truth Social over the weekend that, should Letlow enter the race, she’d have “my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!”
Top Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), remain firmly behind Cassidy. Thune headlined a Baton Rouge fundraiser for him last week and privately lobbied Trump against endorsing Letlow in a Friday phone call.
Cassidy responded to Trump’s endorsement last week by stating that he would not drop out and on Tuesday disclosed that Letlow called him that morning to give a heads up on the announcement.
“She said she respected me and that I had done a good job,” Cassidy said in a statement. “I will continue to do a good job when I win re-election. I am a conservative who wakes up every morning thinking about how to make Louisiana and the United States a better place to live.”
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Fleming, who, prior to Letlow’s entry, presented the greatest threat to Cassidy’s reelection, told the Washington Examiner on Monday that he has no intention of dropping out despite failing to achieve a Trump endorsement that he had long sought.
“My support, and how I’m going to get elected, is from the voters of Louisiana,” Fleming said. “I’m not looking for someone to anoint me to this position.”