Trump racked up another win over the weekend. Louisiana Republican Rep. Julia Letlow won Saturday’s GOP primary runoff for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat, defeating State Treasurer John Fleming and placing the Trump-backed congresswoman in a strong position to keep the seat in Republican hands in November.
Letlow had 57% of the vote to 43% for Fleming, with about 87% of the vote counted, according to reports. She will face Democratic nominee Jamie Davis in the general election. In heavily Republican Louisiana, Letlow is widely viewed as the favorite to succeed two-term Sen. Bill Cassidy, who failed to advance after finishing third in the May primary.
Cassidy received 24.8 percent in the first round, trailing Letlow, who led with 44.8 percent, and Fleming, who drew 28.3 percent. Cassidy’s standing among Trump supporters had deteriorated after he joined six other Republican senators in February 2021 in voting to convict Trump on the charge of “incitement of insurrection” following the January 6 Capitol riot. The Senate fell short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction.
Fleming, 74, had sought to run as a conservative alternative with deep ties to Republican politics. He served in the U.S. House from 2009 to 2017, helped found the House Freedom Caucus, worked as a physician and businessman, served in the U.S. Navy, and held posts in President Trump’s first administration. He launched his Senate campaign in December 2024.
Letlow, 45, has represented Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District since winning a March 2021 special election. Her late husband, Luke Letlow, had been elected to the seat in December 2020 but died the following month from complications of COVID-19 before taking office, noted The Daily Caller.
Before entering Congress, Letlow earned a doctorate in communications and worked as director of external affairs and strategic communications at the University of Louisiana Monroe. In a 2020 video recorded during her interview for the university presidency, she said: “One of the first things I would do: I believe we need a division on this campus, a division of diversity, equity, and inclusion with leadership that goes all the way to the top with a full staff.”
Since entering electoral politics, Letlow has publicly opposed what she describes as “woke ideology” in education.
President Trump endorsed Letlow in January, three days before she formally entered the Senate race. In his Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “I know Julia well, have seen her tested at the highest and most difficult levels, and she is a TOTAL WINNER! 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.”
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, also congratulated Letlow after the runoff.
Congratulations, Julia Letlow! I’m looking forward to keeping Louisiana red, and welcoming a new conservative ally to our Republican Majority in the U.S. Senate.
— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) June 28, 2026
“Congratulations, Julia Letlow! I’m looking forward to keeping Louisiana red, and welcoming a new conservative ally to our Republican Majority in the U.S. Senate,” Scott said.
Letlow now advances to the November general election against Davis, with Republicans heavily favored to retain the Louisiana seat.
[Read More: Pro-Life Leader Calls Out Trump]
