Fresh off an endorsement from President Donald Trump, Rep. Julia Letlow of Louisiana is launching a U.S. Senate bid against fellow Republican and second-term Sen. Bill Cassidy.
Letlow made her announcement Tuesday during a breakfast hosted by The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.
''It's an honor to share with you, after the endorsement and encouragement from the president, the president of the United States, Trump, that today I will officially be announcing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate,'' she said, according to audio of the event obtained by The Associated Press.
The development further complicates Cassidy's difficult reelection path and effectively marks the final failure of his attempts to placate the president after voting in 2021 to convict Trump on impeachment charges stemming from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Cassidy confirmed Tuesday on X that he'd heard from Letlow personally.
"Congresswoman Letlow called me this morning to say she was running,'' he wrote. ''She said she respected me and that I had done a good job. I will continue to do a good job when I win re-election.''
A reliable Trump vote in the House, Letlow was elected to the House in a 2021 special election after her husband died of COVID complications shortly after winning the congressional seat. Letlow, who represents parts of north and central Louisiana, did not mention Cassidy during her 18-minute speech, instead emphasizing her support for Republicans' sweeping domestic policy and tax bill that Trump signed last summer.
Trump's backing of Letlow pits the White House against the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which has endorsed Cassidy as part of its tradition of backing incumbents. Senate Majority Leader John Thune appeared publicly with Cassidy in Louisiana last week.
