Republican Rep. Julia Letlow announced on Tuesday that she is challenging Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy for his seat.
Letlow, who got President Donald Trump’s endorsement over the weekend before announcing her campaign, officially joins the group of Republican challengers looking to oust Cassidy from his seat after months of speculation over whether she would join the race.
“I am announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate to ensure the nation we leave our children is safer and stronger,” Letlow said in a statement announcing her run. “Louisiana deserves a conservative Senator who will not waver. I am honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and trust.”
She first made the announcement during a breakfast event in Baton Rouge, according to Politico.
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“My parents taught me well. They taught me that when the Lord opens a door, you don’t walk through it — you run,” Letlow reportedly said during the event. “It’s an honor to share with you today that I’m officially announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate.”
The Louisiana Senate primary will be one of the most heated in 2026. On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Letlow would have his “Complete and Total Endorsement” if she entered the race.
NOTUS previously reported that Trump called Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Friday to let him know of his plans to endorse Letlow. Thune encouraged him to back Cassidy instead, citing concern over losing Cassidy’s support on future legislation.
Trump’s endorsement in the race was long expected to play an outsized role.
“Of course I prefer his endorsement but if it’s not an endorsement, neutral is probably the next best thing,” Cassidy told Politico in September.
Letlow’s announcement brings into focus a competitive Republican primary in which Cassidy faces challenges from his right to keep his seat. The state’s new closed-primary system is also expected to make it harder for moderates to prevail, putting pressure on Cassidy.
Cassidy said in a statement that he received a call from Letlow ahead of her announcement saying that she “respected” him and that he had “done a good job.”
“I will continue to do a good job when I win re-election,” Cassidy said in a statement. “I am a conservative who wakes up every morning thinking about how to make Louisiana and the United States a better place to live.”
In May, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump reportedly discussed the possibility of Letlow entering the Senate race. While Letlow said in August that she was “humbled by the outpouring of support” she received as she considered a bid, she said she didn’t have a timetable on her decision to enter the race.
She was also in the running to be the next president of Louisiana State University before announcing she was not interested in the job at the start of September.
The field for Cassidy’s seat is full of candidates jockeying for the Republican nomination.
Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, state Sen. Blake Miguez and state Rep. Julie Emerson are among those running for the seat. Fleming and other Republicans have highlighted Cassidy’s tumultuous past with Trump and have questioned Cassidy’s lack of support for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as part of their campaigns.
Since Cassidy voted to confirm Kennedy, the two have butted heads over health policy. For example, Cassidy, a physician, disagreed with Kennedy’s decision to terminate grants used for the production of new mRNA vaccines and his firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee called Letlow’s announcement “the latest in a string of problems for national Republicans as they grapple with infighting and a toxic agenda that has put their Senate majority at risk.”
“Republicans’ Senate headaches just got even worse as they face another nasty primary with a Trump-endorsed candidate against a sitting Senator,” DSCC spokesperson Maeve Coyle said in a statement.
Letlow is a member of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations. She first came to Congress in 2021 following a special election to replace her husband, Luke Letlow, who died before taking office.
Letlow, who is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, has closely aligned herself with the Trump administration’s education agenda. She invited Linda McMahon, the United States secretary of education, to visit several classrooms in her state as part of the secretary’s Return Education to the States Tour.
Letlow also caught attention after NOTUS reported last week that she violated the federal Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act by missing a deadline to disclose more than 210 personal stock trades, which together are potentially worth millions of dollars.
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This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and Verite News.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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