Trump target Cassidy unseated in GOP primary
Sen. Bill Cassidy was defeated in the Republican primary in Louisiana
What happened
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) lost his bid for reelection, placing third in Louisiana’s Republican primary on Saturday. Rep. Julia Letlow, the candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, came in first and will face state Treasurer John Fleming in a June 27 runoff.
Cassidy’s defeat was the “latest example of Trump’s unrivaled power over the Republican Party,” even amid “persistent inflation” and “sagging approval ratings,” The Associated Press said.
Who said what
Cassidy was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump in 2021 for trying to remain in office after his 2020 defeat, but he has “rarely bucked Trump since he returned to the White House,” The Washington Post said. Cassidy is a “disloyal disaster” and a “terrible guy,” Trump said on social media Saturday morning, before later celebrating his defeat: “That’s what you get by voting to Impeach an innocent man.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Insults only bother me if they come from somebody of character and integrity,” Cassidy said in his concession speech. “Our country is not about one individual,” and if you lose in a democracy, “you don’t pout. You don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen.” Cassidy spent five years “sucking up” to Trump, all for nothing, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. He “paid a price last night. And guess what? I think he deserved it.”
What next?
Cassidy’s “suddenly pointed criticism” of Trump “suggests he could quickly turn into a headache for the White House” during his final months in office, Politico said.
