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Cassidy trails behind Letlow, Fleming in Louisiana’s GOP Senate primary: Poll

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by Sarah Davis - 04/30/26 7:00 AM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 04/30/26 7:00 AM ET

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Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is falling slightly behind his GOP challengers ahead of Louisiana’s Republican primary, according to a new poll.

The incumbent senator is currently in third place among likely Republican primary voters in the state, according to an Emerson College poll released on Thursday.

Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming (R) received 28 percent of respondents’ support and Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) received 27 percent, while Cassidy garnered 21 percent.

Twenty-two percent of the poll’s respondents said that they are currently undecided on their vote in the state’s Republican primary election on May 16, which is now less than three weeks away.

President Trump has endorsed Letlow in the race, going against the wishes of GOP congressional leaders.

Cassidy has notably pushed back against the Trump administration on key issues, and he joined six other GOP senators in 2021 in voting to convict Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building.

Trump responded by calling the Republican senator a “TOTAL FLAKE” and a “stiff.”

The president lauded Letlow as a “true America-first patriot” in a video announcing his decision to back her campaign last month.

“She’s a big MAGA fan, and she was from the beginning, and will serve the great people of Louisiana with honor and distinction like very few have even thought of doing,” Trump said in the endorsement video.

Cassidy responded with a campaign ad attacking the representative as “liberal” for her legislative and stock trading records.

Fleming has been serving as the state’s treasurer since 2024. He has also served four terms as a U.S. representative and was deputy chief of staff under the first Trump administration. During his time in Congress, Fleming helped form the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservative lawmakers.

Over 80 percent of likely GOP voters surveyed in the Emerson poll expressed support for Trump. Additionally, 41 percent said they believe Letlow would be the most supportive candidate of the president’s agenda, compared to 26 percent for Fleming and 21 percent for Cassidy.

Fiscal concerns remain a top issue for voters heading into this primary election, according to the poll results. Forty-three percent of respondents indicated that the economy is their top issue at the ballot box, followed by crime, education, healthcare, immigration and threats to democracy.

On the Democratic side, three candidates are competing to represent their party in the upcoming primary race. The Democratic candidates include a former policy advisor, a retired Navy veteran and a farmer.

The Emerson survey was conducted from April 24-26 among 500 likely GOP voters in the state. The results have a margin of error of approximately 4.3 percentage points.

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