Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who broke ranks with his party to vote to convict former President Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial, is facing a bruising primary challenge in his home state of Louisiana.
Cassidy's primary on Thursday is seen as a barometer of Trump's continued hold over the Republican Party. Even as polls show the president's approval ratings tanking, early primary votes indicate the enduring weight of his endorsement.
Trump has backed U.S. Representative Julia Letlow in the Senate race, with State Treasurer John Fleming also running. The winner of the Republican primary is all but assured victory in the general election in the deep-red state.
Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of "incitement of insurrection" following his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
"Our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty," Cassidy said at the time.
Despite the defections, the Senate fell far short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict, and Trump was acquitted.
Initially viewed as politically toxic after leaving office in 2021, Trump staged a stunning comeback, reshaping the Republican Party in his image. Most other Republican senators who voted to convict alongside Cassidy have since been ousted or retired.
Only centrists Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have escaped major intra-party fallout for their votes.
Letlow, an academic administrator who entered office in 2021, has seized on Cassidy's 2021 vote, saying in her campaign launch video that Louisianans "shouldn't have to wonder how our senator will vote when the pressure is on."
Cassidy, a physician, has walked a fine line during Trump's second term, regularly touting administration policies and appearing with Trump at the White House for healthcare events. However, he has clashed with the administration, notably sparring with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine skepticism during Kennedy's confirmation hearing for Health and Human Services secretary.
"I am a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases," Cassidy said. He later cast the deciding vote to confirm Kennedy after receiving assurances.
In April, Trump accused Cassidy of tanking his nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, decrying his "intransigence and political games." Cassidy has countered by questioning Letlow's conservative credentials, highlighting her past support for diversity initiatives and attendance at a UN climate conference.
Trump carried Louisiana with about 58% in 2016 and 2020, and 60% in 2024. Polls show Cassidy trailing both Letlow and Fleming. If no candidate wins an outright majority, the race will go to a runoff on June 27.
Source: www.aljazeera.com