"Bill Cassidy, Louisiana's incumbent Republican senator, has been in Donald Trump's crosshairs since Cassidy voted to convict during the President's impeachment trial in the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump has accused Cassidy, a physician by training, of being "disloyal" for declining to support a MAHA-aligned nominee for Surgeon General. Cassidy has also repeatedly clashed with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., over his attempts to overhaul the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to reduce federal vaccine recommendations."
"Trump has endorsed Representative Julia Letlow, calling her a "TOTAL WINNER." Letlow's husband, Luke Letlow, was elected to Congress in 2020, but he died of COVID-19 shortly before he was able to take office; Letlow, a former academic administrator, won the special election to fill his seat. Cassidy's other challenger is John Fleming, the Louisiana state treasurer, who served as a White House deputy chief of staff during the first Trump term."
"Fleming has accused Letlow's campaign chair, Ralph Abraham, of offering him a position as deputy director of the C.D.C. in return for dropping out of the race; Abraham has denied the accusation. On the Democratic side, Nick Albares, a nonprofit executive who previously served as a policy adviser to John Bel Edwards, the Democratic former governor, is facing off against Gary Crockett, a retired Navy veteran who has stressed the need for "practical" leadership, and Jamie Davis, Jr., a third-generation Louisiana farmer who has emphasized progressive issues, including raising the minimum wage, taxing the wealthy, and passing Medicare for All."
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana’s incumbent Republican senator, faces primary challenges amid Donald Trump’s criticism tied to Cassidy’s impeachment vote and health policy disputes. Trump has accused Cassidy of disloyalty after Cassidy declined to back a MAHA-aligned nominee for Surgeon General and has clashed with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over efforts to reshape the CDC and reduce federal vaccine recommendations. Trump endorsed Representative Julia Letlow as a “TOTAL WINNER.” Letlow’s husband Luke Letlow died of COVID-19 before taking office, and Letlow previously won a special election to fill his seat. John Fleming, Louisiana’s state treasurer, is another challenger and has accused Letlow’s campaign chair of offering a CDC deputy director role for dropping out, which was denied. Democrats include Nick Albares, Gary Crockett, and Jamie Davis Jr., with platforms ranging from practical leadership to progressive economic and healthcare proposals.
Read at The New Yorker
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]