Sen. John Kennedy says Trump has had a ‘huge impact’ on Louisiana’s Senate race
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President Donald Trump’s “tremendous influence” on Republican politics is alive and well, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Sunday, pointing to the presidential endorsement that helped sway Louisiana’s Senate race and incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy.
“Unless you’re a complete idiot of God, the outcome was predictable,” Kennedy told The Sunday Briefing.
“Polling has shown for over a year that Senator Cassidy was in trouble, [and] I think the president authorized Congress [Julia] Letlow was the icing on the cake. “Bill knew that, but he decided to run anyway, and I respect that,” he added.
Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming topped Cassidy on Saturday GOP primaryaccording to the Associated Press.
AFTER INDIANA PURGE, TRUMP LOOKS AT DOCUMENTS ON LOUISIANA KING CASSIDY
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., arrives at a Senate Republican policy luncheon in Washington, DC, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Letlow walked away with about 45% of the vote. Fleming followed with about 28% and Cassidy came in third at just under 25%.
Letlow, who has been representing the state’s fifth district since 2021, will move on to a runoff against Fleming as neither candidate broke 50% of the vote.
The winner will face the winner of the Democratic Alliance contest in November.
Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump in his impeachment trial five years ago, was targeted by the president on Saturday morning, as he called the senator a “dishonest disaster” and a “sleazebag, bad guy, OBAD FOR LOUISIANA.”
TRUMP TURNS VIEWS ON BILL CASSIDY, THOMAS MASSIE AFTER CUSTOM WIN IN INDANA PRIMARY
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana punches a supporter during a campaign stop at a gun shop and shooting range in Baton Rouge on May 15, the night before the state Senate capitulation. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
After Cassidy’s defeat, Trump returned to social media to celebrate the senator’s ouster, saying “it’s great to see that his political career is OVER!”
In his concession speech to voters, Cassidy appeared to insult the president.
“When you participate in a democracy, sometimes things don’t go the way you want, but you don’t get angry, you don’t complain. You don’t say that the election was stolen… You don’t make excuses,” he said.
“You thank the voters for the right to represent the country or the country as long as you have that right. And that’s what I’m doing right now.”
While Trump’s endorsement of Letlow is among the reasons speculated for his strong performance, Kennedy highlighted another possible reason voters chose him.
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“My people were also angry about the elections. We always had … open primaries, and our legislature went to closed primaries and many voters went to the polls this time and they were not allowed to vote for the person they chose. They had to choose one of the two primaries to vote, and there was a little confusion in our elections but our conference continued the elections,”. he said.
“President Trump’s endorsement had a big, big impact. There’s no question about that, but there were other factors and, like I said, Bill has been in political trouble for over a year, and he knew that, and I don’t think anyone was particularly surprised, especially after President Trump weighed in.”
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
