Louisiana primary win puts Trump endorsee Letlow on path to US Senate

Trump waded into race to defeat incumbent Bill Cassidy, a Republican and critic of Trump’s actions following the 2020 vote.A candidate endorsed by United States President Donald Trump has won the Republican primary in Louisiana, putting her on track to win a seat in the US Senate in November.Julia Letlow, currently a US representative, beat state Treasurer John Fleming in a two-candidate run-off on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US primaries in Oklahoma, Georgia, others: Key takeaways from the resultslist 2 of 3A leftward lurch? What to know about the Democratic primaries in New Yorklist 3 of 3Why Washington’s reflecting pool has gone from ‘US blue’ to algae greenend of listWhile she will face Democrat Jamie Davis, a farmer, in the November midterm vote, Letlow will be the favourite in the southern state that skews heavily Republican.Trump had first waded into the race ahead of the first round of primary voting on May 16. He endorsed Letlow while publicly opposing incumbent Senator Bill Cassidy.Cassidy had been one of only a handful of Republicans to vote to convict Trump following his impeachment in connection with the January 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol by his supporters.A medical doctor, Cassidy has also clashed with the Trump administration over its health policies under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.Still, Cassidy has largely supported Trump’s policy initiatives in recent years, in an apparent attempt to mend ties with the president.He eventually finished third in the first round of voting behind Letlow and former Congressman Fleming, who have both been staunch supporters of Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.Letlow’s victory underscores Trump’s continued hold over large portions of the Republican base.He had successfully supported a challenger to incumbent Congressman Thomas Massie, another top Republican critic of the president, in Kentucky, and successfully backed loyalist Ken Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn in Texas.