Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) escalated his criticism Monday of Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA) for postponing the state’s House primary elections after a Supreme Court ruling, while still moving forward with the May 16 Senate primary.
Cassidy would not rule out that the move made by executive order from Landry, who is supporting Trump-backed rival Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), could have been politically motivated to hurt his candidacy.
“I don’t know that. I think we’re here to serve the voter,” Cassidy told reporters on a press call. “I think part of the problem is that the voters now serve the political process, and there’s been change after change, and voters deserve to be confused.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Landry for comment. In a prior statement announcing the delay for House primaries that came after the Supreme Court deemed Louisiana’s congressional map unconstitutional, Landry said his executive order “ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map.”
Cassidy further told reporters he feared that, “inevitably, some think that applied to both the House and the Senate.” Early voting for the Senate primary began Saturday and will run through May 9.
“Now that can be a problem, and we’re going to hand Democrats a win if voters don’t know when to vote,” Cassidy said, noting that he’s focusing his final days on get-out-the-vote events to raise awareness for election day.
The primary is expected to head to a runoff with the top two vote-getters between Cassidy, Letlow, and State Treasurer John Fleming, if none of them earn at least 50%. The race is among the GOP’s most contentious Senate primaries this cycle, with polls suggesting any of the three candidates could ultimately prevail in a runoff that would occur June 27.
Cassidy, who voted to convict President Donald Trump of impeachment for the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack but still largely aligns with conservatives in Congress, has at times clashed with the president’s second-term health agenda and related officials. Cassidy chairs the upper chamber’s health committee.
LOUISIANA SENATE GOP PRIMARY RACE REMAINS TIGHT AS CASSIDY EXPLOITS MAGA DIVIDE
He also made an appeal Monday to undecided voters who may lean Democratic or lack a party affiliation.
“Whether you’re no party or Republican, you need to vote,” Cassidy said. “I don’t know what party they’re voting for. Anecdotally, a lot of people are coming up to me and saying, ‘I changed my party from Democrat, and I voted for you.’”