Republican Senator Cassidy loses Louisiana primary after opposing Trump

Bill Cassidy is among seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.US Senator Bill Cassidy has lost his Louisiana Republican primary after years of criticism from supporters of Donald Trump over his vote to convict the United States president during his 2021 impeachment trial linked to the January 6 Capitol attack that year.Cassidy failed to secure enough support in the southern state on Saturday to advance to a run-off, finishing behind Representative Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming. The two will face each other in a second round of voting on June 27.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Bulgaria wins Eurovision for first time; Israel comes second amid boycottlist 2 of 4Al Jazeera reports from Strait of Hormuz on Iran’s plan to manage shippinglist 3 of 4Conor McGregor to fight Max Holloway in UFC return on July 11list 4 of 4At least four killed in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russiaend of listThe result underlines Trump’s continued influence over the Republican Party as he targets politicians seen as disloyal, even as he faces growing political pressure over inflation, falling approval ratings and criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran.Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump after the attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters who sought to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. While several Republicans who broke with Trump chose not to seek re-election, Cassidy campaigned aggressively for a third six-year term and heavily outspent his rivals.On the morning of the vote, Trump attacked Cassidy on social media, calling him “a disloyal disaster” and “a terrible guy”. Speaking after his defeat, Cassidy appeared to respond indirectly to Trump’s remarks. “Insults only bother me if they come from somebody of character and integrity,” he told supporters.He added: “Our country is not about one individual. It is about the welfare of all Americans, and it is about the constitution.”