Trump Backs Julia Letlow Against Sen. Cassidy as Thune and Senate GOP Leaders Line Up Behind Incumbent
Former President Trump publicly urged Rep. Julia Letlow to “RUN, JULIA, RUN” and issued a “complete and total endorsement,” prompting Letlow to announce a Senate bid and attracting outside support — including a reported $1 million pledge from MAHA PAC, a group tied to RFK Jr. — against incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy. The endorsement crystallizes a GOP split: Senate leaders led by John Thune have privately and publicly backed Cassidy and urged caution, but the Senate Leadership Fund will stay neutral in Louisiana and the NRSC is not prioritizing the state, leaving Cassidy without the full outside‑spending support of party leaders.
📌 Key Facts
- Former President Trump publicly endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow on Truth Social, calling her a "TOTAL WINNER!" and pledging his "Complete and Total Endorsement" with the encouragement "RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!" if she entered the race.
- Letlow announced she is running for the U.S. Senate at a Greater Baton Rouge Business Report breakfast the day after Trump publicly encouraged her; she had previously signaled she would not run without his backing.
- Letlow called Sen. Bill Cassidy the morning of her announcement to tell him she was running and to express respect for his record; Cassidy said he is "proudly running" for reelection and is confident he will win.
- Senate GOP leader John Thune and other Senate leaders personally back Cassidy; Thune privately urged Trump to stick with Cassidy and was told by Trump the day before the public endorsement, but leadership efforts have repeatedly failed to secure Trump’s support.
- The Thune‑aligned Senate Leadership Fund will stay neutral in the Louisiana primary despite earlier NRSC backing for Cassidy; the NRSC says it will back GOP incumbents but Louisiana is not among its top battlegrounds, making major committee or outside‑spending help for Cassidy unlikely.
- MAHA PAC, a group with close ties to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., publicly pledged $1 million to support Letlow’s expected primary challenge; MAHA PAC co‑founder Tony Lyons framed the contribution as backing Trump’s effort to "end the chronic disease epidemic" and praised Letlow as a "tireless champion for Louisiana families."
- Background context: Cassidy’s relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has deteriorated — Cassidy, a pro‑vaccine physician, criticized Kennedy for cutting childhood vaccine recommendations, firing CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee and imposing a new European‑style childhood schedule after earlier assurances that the panel would be maintained.
- Axios reports that Thune has been unsuccessful in multiple late‑cycle efforts to get Trump to align with Senate leadership’s preferred incumbents ("0 for 3"), underscoring broader fractures between Trump and GOP Senate campaign leaders.
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 21, 2026
12:52 AM
Trump blows off Senate Republican leaders on critical endorsements
New information:
- Axios reports that despite Thune’s lobbying, Trump has refused to endorse incumbent Sens. John Cornyn and Susan Collins and has even publicly called for Collins’ ouster after her Venezuela war‑powers vote.
- The Thune‑aligned Senate Leadership Fund is expected to stay out of the Louisiana primary while its affiliates are channeling millions to defend Cornyn and has just committed $42 million to protect Collins in Maine.
- NRSC Chair Tim Scott has reiterated that the committee will back all GOP incumbents, but Louisiana is not among the eight battleground states the NRSC is currently prioritizing, meaning Cassidy is unlikely to get major committee or SLF outside‑spending help despite leadership’s personal support.
- Axios underscores that Thune is now "0 for 3" in late‑cycle efforts to get Trump on board with leadership’s preferred incumbents, underscoring a broader fracture in the GOP Senate campaign apparatus.
January 20, 2026
11:22 PM
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy facing Trump-backed primary challenger
New information:
- CBS confirms the timing that Letlow’s announcement came the day after Trump publicly encouraged her to enter the race.
- The segment frames Cassidy as a 'frequent critic' of Trump, underscoring the ideological rift motivating the challenge.
- Adds expert reaction: CBS political strategists Laurie Watkins and Alex Conant analyze the primary’s implications for intra‑party dynamics, though without major new factual claims beyond the announcement itself.
3:50 PM
Rep. Julia Letlow jumps into Louisiana Senate race with Trump's backing
New information:
- Julia Letlow publicly announced she is running for the U.S. Senate at a Greater Baton Rouge Business Report breakfast, citing Trump’s endorsement and encouragement.
- Bill Cassidy said Letlow called him the morning of her announcement to tell him she is running and to say she respected him and believed he had done a good job.
- Cassidy responded that he will continue to do a good job 'when I win re-election,' framing himself as a conservative focused on improving life in Louisiana and the U.S.
- The article reiterates Trump’s Truth Social language calling Letlow a 'TOTAL WINNER!' and a 'Great Star' and promising his 'Complete and Total Endorsement' if she ran.
1:55 PM
Trump endorsement rocks Louisiana Senate race as Letlow poised to jump in
New information:
- Details that Trump publicly issued a 'Complete and Total Endorsement' of Rep. Julia Letlow on social media with the line 'RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!' if she enters the race.
- Report that Letlow is now likely to launch a Senate campaign as early as this week, after signaling she would not run without Trump’s backing.
- Confirmation that Senate Majority Leader John Thune personally continues to back Cassidy and that Trump called Thune the day before to give him a heads‑up on the endorsement.
- Disclosure that the Senate Leadership Fund, the main GOP Senate super PAC aligned with Thune, will stay neutral in the Louisiana primary despite earlier NRSC support for Cassidy.
- Cassidy’s public response post‑endorsement, saying he is 'proudly running' for reelection and is confident he will win even if Letlow runs.
January 19, 2026
4:42 PM
Cassidy was the key vote for RFK Jr. Now, a group with ties to Kennedy is backing the senator’s likely challenger.
New information:
- MAHA PAC, a group with close ties to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has publicly pledged $1 million to support Rep. Julia Letlow’s expected primary challenge to Sen. Bill Cassidy.
- MAHA PAC co‑founder Tony Lyons framed the move as backing Trump’s effort to 'end the chronic disease epidemic' and called Letlow a 'tireless champion for Louisiana families.'
- The article details the deterioration of the Cassidy–Kennedy relationship: Cassidy, a pro‑vaccine physician, has blasted RFK Jr. for cutting childhood vaccine recommendations, firing all 17 members of CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee, and then bypassing that panel to impose a new European‑style childhood schedule.
- It confirms Cassidy’s earlier rationale for supporting Kennedy’s nomination — that Kennedy promised to maintain the CDC advisory panel’s recommendations — and notes those assurances were quickly broken.
- Senate GOP leader John Thune had urged Trump privately to stick with Cassidy, underscoring intra‑party divisions over the primary.
January 18, 2026