President Trump has injected fresh uncertainty into the Republican Party’s Senate agenda and Louisiana’s Senate race by endorsing Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) over incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a move that has alarmed GOP leaders and complicated their legislative plans, according to a report from The Hill. Trump’s preemptive backing of Letlow over the weekend roiled what was expected to be a safe GOP contest, placing him at odds with Senate leadership as Republicans eye a second reconciliation package and a possible health care bill that would likely move through the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, chaired by Cassidy. “Did anyone explain that to the president?” one GOP operative asked, warning that “Cassidy as a free agent is one of the scarier ones in the Senate Republican Conference,” especially given the presence of Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on the panel, adding, “To get a majority with Dems on things to f— the president [on the committee], it’s not complicated.”
Trump has long targeted Cassidy, particularly after the Louisiana senator voted to convict him following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, despite Cassidy later attempting to mend ties by backing Trump priorities, including voting to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary. While Cassidy already faced right-wing primary challengers, GOP leaders have remained firmly behind him, with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) saying he has backed Cassidy “from the beginning,” adding, “We’re going to do everything we can to build the majority,” and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee also offering support. Thune even appeared alongside Cassidy in Louisiana last week, a day before Trump informed him of his intention to support Letlow, despite efforts by Thune to highlight Cassidy’s legislative value and narrow GOP margins, stressing that “having someone like Cassidy on our side is important” to advancing Trump’s agenda.
Republicans warned that the endorsement could weaken Thune’s ability to unify the caucus heading into an election year, with one operative saying, “It hurts Thune, which therefore hurts Trump,” while noting Cassidy remains well-regarded within the conference. Though some Republicans believe there is time before Cassidy becomes a legislative obstacle, the Louisiana primary is not until mid-May, and Cassidy must decide whether to run again by Feb. 13, with one senior aide cautioning, “If he doesn’t run again, you can probably kiss the second reconciliation bill goodbye immediately.” Cassidy responded on X, writing, “I will continue to do a good job when I win re-election,” as questions linger over outside spending, donor alignment, and whether Trump-aligned groups will heavily back Letlow, even as Cassidy holds roughly $11 million in campaign funds and party strategists warn that any diversion of resources in a safe red state could hinder GOP efforts nationwide.