Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said Thursday that Gov. Jeff Landry's decision to move forward with Louisiana's Senate primary election next month was "disappointing," as a voting rights dispute reshapes the state's electoral calendar.
Landry signed an executive order earlier Thursday suspending House primary elections, a day after the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana's congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act by failing to include a second majority-Black district. However, all other primaries — including Cassidy's challenge from Rep. Julia Letlow (R) and state Treasurer John Fleming — will proceed as planned with early voting beginning Saturday and the final day of balloting set for May 16.
What the Right Is Saying
Cassidy defended his record against primary challengers backed by Trump, saying he remains focused on delivering for Louisiana. "The people in Louisiana are going to vote for someone who's delivered for Louisiana, and I can look at the things that I have delivered for the state of Louisiana… and it is far more than any of my opponents," he told CNN.
President Trump has publicly supported Letlow's candidacy and criticized Cassidy as "very disloyal" — pointing to Cassidy's vote to impeach Trump after the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Landry, a Trump ally who signed the executive order, said Thursday that the Supreme Court's decision bars the state from carrying out congressional elections under the current map.
Letlow launched her campaign against Cassidy in January with early backing from the president. Fleming, a former state Republican Party chairman and Army veteran, is also competing for the seat representing six years of representation.
What the Left Is Saying
Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) expressed concern about voter confusion stemming from the selective suspension. "Louisiana's primaries are already underway — mail-in ballots have been sent, and early voting begins in just two days," he wrote on social media. "We must account for that reality and ensure voters aren't left in confusion or denied fair representation at a critical moment. Our soldiers at war, the elderly, and anyone who requires accommodations to vote will face irreparable harm if we change course midstream."
Democratic groups have noted that the Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais affirmed a lower court's determination that the state's 2024 legislative map improperly diluted Black voting power by not creating a second majority-minority district. The state must now redraw its congressional boundaries before House elections can proceed.
What the Numbers Show
An Emerson College poll conducted last Friday through Sunday surveyed 500 likely Louisiana GOP primary voters on the Senate race. The results showed Fleming at 28 percent, Letlow at 27 percent, Cassidy at 21 percent, and 22 percent undecided — a margin of error was not disclosed.
Under Louisiana's majority-vote system, if no candidate exceeds 50 percent in the May 16 primary, the top two finishers advance to a June 27 runoff. Early voting begins April 26, just days away.
The Supreme Court's ruling invalidated maps that created a second majority-Black district currently held by Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields — a decision affecting all six of Louisiana's congressional seats and approximately 1.5 million registered voters in the affected districts.
The Bottom Line
Landry's executive order creates a split electoral timeline: Senate voters will decide their primary May 16, while House voters must wait until at least July 15 for new district lines to be drawn. This means Louisiana could hold two separate elections within weeks of each other this summer.
Cassidy faces an uphill climb according to polling, though he has pointed to his legislative accomplishments as evidence of constituent support. His criticism of Landry places him at odds with the governor and president simultaneously — a dynamic that will test whether institutional incumbency or executive endorsement carries more weight in a Republican primary.
The next two weeks of early voting and candidate outreach will determine whether Cassidy can overcome his polling deficit before May 16, or whether Letlow's Trump endorsement proves decisive in the race to unseat the three-term senator.