# Bill Cassidy Two-term Republican senator from Louisiana, serving since 2015. Physician by training (gastroenterologist/hepatologist) and former LSU Health Sciences professor. One of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump at the 2021 impeachment trial — a vote that has defined his political life ever since and triggered a Trump-endorsed primary challenge this cycle. ## Career highlights - U.S. House (LA-06, 2009–2015), defeated Democrat Don Cazayoux - Defeated Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) in 2014 to flip LA-Sen red - Re-elected 2020 in Louisiana jungle primary with 59% - Voted to convict Trump on Article 1 (incitement of insurrection) at February 2021 impeachment trial - Co-author of Electoral Count Reform Act (2022) with [[Susan Collins]] — directly addressed January 6 vulnerabilities - Lead Republican negotiator on 2023 bipartisan retirement savings (SECURE 2.0) and on healthcare pricing transparency ## 2026 cycle Running for a third term in the most competitive Republican primary of the cycle. Trump endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (LA-05) in January 2026 in explicit retaliation for Cassidy's 2021 impeachment vote. Former Rep. John Fleming is also running hard. Three-way primary May 16 with a June 27 runoff if no majority. Polling has been volatile — any of the three candidates has led in at least one survey. See [[LA-Sen-2026]] for full race context. ## Ideological positioning - Institutional-R on healthcare, financial services, energy - Traditional Louisiana-Republican brand: pro-business, oil-and-gas aligned, socially conservative but policy-focused - Deeply unaligned with MAGA-movement currents; views Trump as a political actor to manage, not a leader to follow - His impeachment vote, Jan 6 Commission-adjacent work, and public statements about Trump's 2020 election claims have become the central case for and against him depending on audience ## Quotes on file - [[Bill Cassidy - Reagan is rolling over in his grave]] — June 17, 2026, on the Iran settlement - [[Bill Cassidy - somebody didnt tell me the truth]] — August 13, 2026, on his vote to confirm [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]] Both are the same move: a sharp indictment of a Trump-administration outcome that stops short of indicting his own vote for it. ## Related - [[LA-Sen-2026]] - [[MAGA]] — frame for the primary dynamics - [[Mitch McConnell]] — political ally, similar institutional-R profile