By Helen Huiskes, NOTUS
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, opted out of challenging Sen. Bill Cassidy in the Louisiana Republican primary. And for now, he’s not endorsing anyone — although he told NOTUS he’s been plenty involved in conversations behind the scenes.
“I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale,” Higgins told NOTUS. “Because there are several Louisiana citizens that are contemplating entering that fray, and they’ve all reached out to me.”
As the state’s first closed congressional primary elections in decades, the contest next April will be a test of Cassidy’s strength in a state President Donald Trump won by 22 points in November. Higgins was considered a strong potential primary challenger.Now that he’s out, more candidates might be inspired to join the race, said John Couvillon, founder and president of JMC Enterprises, a Louisiana political consulting firm.
“The way I look at it is, this is the proverbial blood in the water where other challengers now feel incentivized to jump into the race,” Couvillon said.
In Higgins’ announcement that he would not seek the seat in 2026, he said he hopes a “MAGA America First Republican candidate will emerge” in the primary.
Cassidy, meanwhile, praised Higgins in a statement after the House Republican announced he would personally be staying out of the race.
“Clay and I both love our country and Louisiana,” Cassidy said. “We’re both working to defend the American Dream and support President Trump’s Pro-America agenda. He’s a man of strong faith and will continue serving Southwest Louisiana well.”
Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, a medical doctor and former congressman, is the only declared Republican challenger to Cassidy so far, although Higgins said he thinks more people will run as well.
“John’s a friend, and he’s one of the guys,” Higgins told NOTUS. “He has as good of a shot as anybody, really, but he’s not in an indomitable position, so he would be right there in the fray with a handful of other Republicans that are, you know, one could legitimately argue, if you knew who these guys were you’d say, ‘Oh, well, that’s a gentleman who’s very qualified to be a senator from Louisiana.”
Fleming told NOTUS he has not discussed the primary with Higgins, but believes he fits the bill of a “MAGA America First” candidate.
“I think most people would agree that I fit that description,” Fleming said. He mentioned his Trumpworld bona fides as a deputy chief of staff in the first administration and as a Trump-endorsed candidate for state treasurer.
Cassidy has a significant advantage in funding. As of the end of December, Cassidy had $6.5 million cash on hand, compared to Fleming’s $36,000. But a poll from JMC in March, commissioned by the Fleming campaign, had Fleming up 13 points.
Helen Huiskes is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
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