By THE ALASKA STORY
May 17, 2026 – US Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of seven Republicans who voted to convict President Donald Trump during Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021, lost his bid for renomination Saturday in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary, finishing third and failing to advance to the runoff election.
Cassidy’s loss stands in contrast to what happened after Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system was installed by Democrats to help protect Sen. Lisa Murkowski from the same political fate in 2022.
Cassidy was defeated in a race dominated by lingering anger among Republican primary voters over his vote to convict Trump on a charge of “incitement of insurrection” following the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol disruption by protesters. Cassidy had declared at the time that “our Constitution and our country is more important than any one person,” saying he believed Trump was guilty.
In Saturday’s Louisiana primary, Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow led the field with roughly 44-45% of the vote, followed by State Treasurer John Fleming. Cassidy finished in third place with approximately one-quarter of the vote, ending his reelection campaign.
Murkowski, who also voted to convict Trump in 2021, survived a fierce Trump-backed challenge from Republican Kelly Tshibaka in 2022. The difference may come down to Alaska’s election system.
After Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 2 in 2020, the state replaced traditional partisan primaries with a “jungle primary,” which is an all-candidates top-four primary system combined with ranked-choice voting in the general election. Under the system, all candidates appear on the same primary ballot, regardless of party affiliation, and the top four candidates advance to the general election. Murkowski did not have to face Republican voters.
Murkowski, who had lost a Republican primary once before in 2010 to Joe Miller before winning reelection in the general election as a write-in candidate, was one of the most prominent beneficiaries of the new system, and one of her campaign operatives was key to its installment in Alaska. In 2022, she advanced through the open primary and then defeated Tshibaka in the ranked-choice general election.
Proponents of ranked-choice voting say the system rewards candidates who can build broader coalitions and reduces the influence of highly ideological primary electorates.
Alaska Republicans and Trump allies point out that the system was effectively designed to protect Murkowski from a closed Republican primary electorate that would likely have rejected her over her opposition to Trump.
Cassidy’s defeat in Louisiana is likely to intensify that argument as RCV is up for repeal on this November’s ballot.
Unlike Alaska, Louisiana Republicans still nominate candidates through a more traditional partisan structure, leaving Cassidy directly exposed to Republican primary voters still upset by his impeachment vote. Trump repeatedly attacked Cassidy as “disloyal” during the campaign and endorsed Letlow instead.
The loss is historically significant because sitting senators rarely lose renomination bids.
7 thoughts on “Cassidy falls in Louisiana primary after Trump impeachment vote; Murkowski escaped that fate in 2022 due to ranked-choice voting”
‘Ol Honey Bunny (aka Daddy’s Little Princess) might be running short of 9-lives.
Let’s send her to the retirement pasture or, succumb to the Lk Clark Pass Express.
Alaska and Alaskans deserve much better than this TDS inflicted “KAREN!”
Murkowski won’t escape in 2028. She’s gonna get her scrawny little rear end paddled by Mike Dunleavy and conservative Alaskans who hate traitors.
Cassidy’s loss proves the modern GOP has traded constitutional conservatism for absolute fealty to one man. In an idea-based party, a vote of conscience rooted in the Constitution would be a defensible position. Here, it was treated as heresy because defying Trump is the only sin that matters. A party built on principles thrives on debate; a party built on a cult of personality views dissent as an existential threat. While his colleagues model mere survival behavior, Cassidy at least went down for a principle he could articulate. Too bad the rest of his party has no principles left.
He compromised all his values and voted for RFK Jr and still lost his senate seat.
Cassidy was a rino neocon. They have no principles, only donar service. Just like The Princess.
Sen. Bill Cassidy will always be remembered as the medical doctor who voted to advance the nomination of an antivaxxer to serve as HHS Secretary. Don’t let the door hit you Bill.
Antivaxer? Hey, it’s not 2021 anymore.
You must be the forget nothing, learn nothing type. Just keep wearing your mask.