Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., will face at least one primary challenger in 2026, with Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming announcing Wednesday that he will run for the seat held by the two-term senator, citing Cassidy’s vote to convict Donald Trump after his 2021 impeachment trial.
Fleming, a former member of Congress, said in a statement that Cassidy “has failed the people of Louisiana,”
“A number of Republicans walked away from President Trump in the last year of his first term,” Fleming said, “but those who turned their backs on him and America First were not committed to his fight to make America great. Louisiana citizens did not give up on this fight.”
Cassidy campaign spokesman Joe Ramallo said in a statement: “I thought he wanted to be State Treasurer? John Fleming wants to get out of Louisiana. He publicly said he wanted a job in the Trump administration, and apparently they didn’t want him. So after less than a year as State Treasurer, he’s looking for another job to return to Washington.”
Cassidy has not yet formally announced that he is running for re-election, but he told the Shreveport Times last month that he is "obviously working hard toward 2026.”
Cassidy was one of three Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol who are still serving in the chamber, along with Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins, who is also up for re-election in 2026. After the House voted to impeach Trump, the Senate acquitted him.
While Collins represents a state Vice President Kamala Harris carried in last month's elections, Cassidy is up for re-election in ruby-red Louisiana, which backed Trump by 22 points.
Fleming, who overlapped with Cassidy when both were in the House, touted his work as a senior adviser to Trump during his first administration.
"I cannot fully express the deep sense of pride I have, having served President Trump in the West Wing of the White House as he was literally fighting for his political life against those who were attacking him and turning their backs on him,” Fleming said, “but the opportunity to stand with him for the principles of America First is why I seek to serve the citizens of Louisiana in the United States Senate.”
Fleming was elected state treasurer last year.
Cassidy's primary will look different than his past races after state legislators changed Louisiana's primary system earlier this year. The state will now have closed primaries for congressional elections, with separate Republican and Democratic contests. Louisiana had previously held "jungle primaries" where candidates from all parties competed on the same primary ballot.
