Dem
47
GOP
53
On Saturday, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) beat state Treasurer John Fleming in the runoff for the Republican nomination for the Senate. It was a resounding win, 57%-43%. She had Donald Trump's endorsement, even though he doesn't know her or anything about her. What he cared about was punishing Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) for voting to convict him of inciting an insurrection on his second impeachment. Also, although Cassidy voted to confirm Robert Kennedy Jr. for secretary of HHS, Cassidy wasn't able to do a good job of hiding the fact that he thinks Kennedy is totally unfit for the job—or any job in government for that matter.
For Trump, Letlow was merely the most convenient vehicle for getting rid of Cassidy. Now that goal has been achieved, Trump will probably never talk to her again, despite her pledging eternal loyalty to him. Before the Senate race, she was actually pro-DEI and not especially MAGA, but Trump got what he wanted (kicking Cassidy to the curb), and that is all that matters to him.
The lesson for Cassidy (and others) here is that groveling at Trump's feet doesn't work. Although Cassidy did vote for Kennedy in the end, it wasn't in his heart. Although Trump is not a cardiologist, he is pretty good at reading hearts, even without an ECG. If Cassidy had voted against Kennedy, other senators would have, too, and the nomination would have gone down. Trump would still have found a primary opponent for Cassidy, but at least Cassidy could go out with his head held high and proud of what he did for the country. Now he has nothing.
Louisiana Democrats nominated a Black farmer, Jamie Davis, for the Senate. He is wasting his time running. Louisiana is 36.5% Democratic, and is 33% Black and 7% Latino, so he will get some votes, but not nearly enough to even get close. (V)