Former Utah Senator Mitt Romney mourned the defeat of Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy in the state's new closed Republican primary on Saturday, calling it a blow to the nation. Cassidy, a physician and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, lost his seat after years of friction with former President Donald Trump, stemming from his vote to convict Trump for inciting the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
“The Senate is about to lose an exceptionally brilliant and creative mind, an MD who chairs healthcare, and a person of character,” Romney posted on X. “Bill Cassidy’s departure is a loss for the country.” Romney, the only Republican senator to vote to convict Trump in both impeachment trials, has long been a vocal critic of the former president.
Cassidy was edged out by Trump-endorsed Congresswoman Julia Letlow and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, who now face a June 27 runoff after neither secured a majority. The primary marked the first test of Louisiana's closed primary system, and Cassidy’s defeat underscores the enduring power of Trump’s endorsement in GOP primaries.
In a concession speech Saturday night, Cassidy took a pointed jab at Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud, saying, “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to, but you don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim the election was stolen, you don’t find a reason why you lost. You don’t manufacture some excuse. You thank the voters for the privilege of representing the state or the country for as long as you’ve had that privilege, and that’s what I’m doing right now.”
Trump has relentlessly targeted Cassidy since the 2021 impeachment vote, calling him “disloyal” and blaming him for blocking the nomination of surgeon general pick Casey Means. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and followers of the Make America Healthy Again movement also condemned Cassidy. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of a legend, and it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!”
Cassidy’s ouster is part of a broader GOP purge of Trump critics, as seen in the Kentucky primary where Trump is targeting Representative Thomas Massie. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham echoed that sentiment on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying there’s “no room” in the GOP to “destroy” Trump’s agenda. “If you align with Democrats to stop his agenda like Massie does, you’re going to lose. If you align with Democrats to drive him out of office, like Cassidy did, you’re going to lose,” Graham said.
The race also drew attention to Cassidy’s role in healthcare policy, as former lawmakers have warned about flawed CMS organ procurement metrics that could endanger lives. Cassidy’s exit leaves a void in the Senate’s healthcare expertise, a point Romney emphasized.
Letlow and Fleming now compete in a runoff that will determine who represents Louisiana in the Senate. The outcome will further test whether Trump’s influence can continue to reshape the GOP, as the party moves toward a more confrontational stance against internal dissent.
