President Donald Trump wants to take down Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment and has been a critic of parts of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. Trump endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow to run against Cassidy and most other challengers dropped out.
There’s just one problem: John Fleming.
The Louisiana state treasurer, who is largely self-funding his campaign, has remained a stubborn force in the race, complicating Trump’s revenge plot and making it a near-certainty that Saturday’s primary will head to a June runoff. In doing so, Fleming is testing Trump’s political operation and the power the second-term president has over the Republican base.
“What people expect from an endorsement from President Trump is really a candidate like me, but what they got was a candidate very similar to Cassidy,” Fleming said in an interview.
Letlow’s campaign has spent the final weeks of the primary attacking him more than the incumbent, even as Cassidy pummels her on the airwaves. A super PAC supporting her has spent about 10 times more money targeting Fleming in its advertising compared to Cassidy, according to AdImpact.
