EXCLUSIVE — Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming has no plans to drop his Senate primary challenge against Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) even after President Donald Trump preemptively endorsed another possible Republican contender.
Fleming, who has long courted Trump’s blessing, criticized Rep. Julia Letlow’s (R-LA) impending candidacy as an attempt to be “anointed” the nomination through Trump with a late entry into a crowded primary set for May.
“My support, and how I’m going to get elected, is from the voters of Louisiana,” Fleming said in an interview Monday with the Washington Examiner. “I’m not looking for someone to anoint me to this position.”
Trump offered an unexpected yet full-throated endorsement over the weekend of Letlow, who has yet to announce her candidacy, and encouraged the second-term congresswoman to jump into the race. Letlow is likely to announce a Senate bid this week, but the timing remains in flux, according to a source familiar with her plans.
“A Proud Mother of two children, Julia is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Louisiana, and would continue doing so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!”
Meanwhile, national Senate Republicans are still backing Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump of his second impeachment trial for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) urged Trump against endorsing Letlow and to instead support Cassidy, according to a source familiar with the matter. Around the same time last week, Thune headlined a Baton Rouge fundraiser for Cassidy and raised more than $650,000 at the event.
Fleming is banking that Letlow splits enough votes with Cassidy that no candidate secures a majority vote and he can prevail as the nominee in a runoff, insisting he’s “the most conservative candidate in this race.” A former congressman, Fleming was a founding member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus.
Letlow has a lifetime score of 75% from the Heritage Foundation’s campaign arm based on how often she aligns with their positions on votes and bills, which often mirror Trump’s. Cassidy has a 62% lifetime score. Although a key vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and human services secretary, he has at times butted heads with the administration on its vaccine skepticism as leader of the Senate’s health committee.
“I think that there’s going to be issues with them canceling each other out on the moderate side,” Fleming said.
Other GOP candidates include state Rep. Julie Emerson and state Sen. Blake Miguez, though the limited polling available conducted prior to news about Letlow has suggested Fleming had the strongest chance to take down Cassidy.
A representative for Letlow declined to comment for this story.
Cassidy responded to Letlow’s Trump endorsement last week by stating he would not drop out.
“I’m proudly running for re-election as a principled conservative who gets things done for the people of Louisiana,” Cassidy posted to social media. “If Congresswoman Letlow decides to run I am confident I will win.”
Fleming has not had recent conversations with Trump or anyone in his orbit regarding the race. He opined that the Letlow endorsement could be tied to Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA), Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, reportedly bending the president’s ear about backing her for Senate.
TRUMP ENDORSES POTENTIAL CASSIDY CHALLENGER IN LOUISIANA SENATE RACE
Internal polling conducted by Fleming’s campaign last week and provided to the Washington Examiner showed Fleming clinching a primary runoff against Cassidy 44%-26%. In a first-round ballot test, Fleming narrowly led with 23% to Cassidy’s 22%. The poll did not include Letlow.
“I think the question for the voters is, who’s going to work for you?” Fleming asked. “Somebody who’s been working 13 months to get your vote, working every day, and traveling around the state, or somebody who’s anointed to the position?”