At the Races: Runoff, Set, Geaux!

By Daniela Altimari

Posted June 26, 2026 at 5:15pm

Welcome to a special edition of At the Races! Throughout the 2026 primary season, watch for these updates from the CQ Roll Call campaign team on what you need to know for Election Day. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here.

By Daniela Altimari

Louisiana Republicans will select a Senate nominee in Saturday’s runoff after casting aside two-term GOP incumbent Bill Cassidy in last month’s primary.

The runoff pits Rep. Julia Letlow, who entered the race as President Donald Trump’s chosen candidate, against state Treasurer and former Rep. John Fleming.

Letlow took first place in the initial round of voting, capturing 45 percent of the vote to Fleming’s 28 percent. But there are signs that the runoff could be tightening.

The contest will provide another test of the power of a Trump endorsement in Republican primaries in red-leaning states. His Senate picks, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, have prevailed in their primaries this year, though two of his gubernatorial endorsees have fallen short.

Letlow, a former university administrator, came to Congress in 2021 after winning a seat her husband, Luke J. Letlow, was scheduled to be sworn into days before he died of COVID-19 complications.

Angered by Cassidy’s 2021 vote to convict him at his second impeachment trial, Trump endorsed Letlow even before she kicked off her Senate bid, and he has reiterated his support for her several times since.

Fleming has served as state treasurer since 2024. A physician by training, he served four terms in Congress, beginning in 2009 and was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus. He left the House for an unsuccessful bid for the state’s other Senate seat in 2016.

Louisiana Democrats are also selecting a Senate nominee Saturday, with their primary runoff featuring farmer Jamie Davis and Navy veteran Gary Crockett. Davis led Crockett 47 percent to 26 percent in last month’s first round of voting. The Democratic winner will be a heavy underdog in the general election in a state that Trump carried by 22 points in 2024. Democrats haven’t won a Senate election in Louisiana since Mary L. Landrieu won a third and final term in 2008.