Senator Bill Cassidy faces a competitive GOP primary in Louisiana, with the new closed primary system restricting voting to registered Republicans. This change may affect Cassidy's chances due to his impeachment vote against former President Trump. In Nebraska, key primaries are underway for the 2nd Congressional District and the Senate, with outcomes likely to influence party dynamics and future elections.
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This daily briefing delivers the latest political coverage and insights from NBC News Politics correspondents tracking the White House, Congress, and election campaigns. This edition features analysis by Steve Kornacki examining the challenging electoral prospects Senator Bill Cassidy confronts in Saturday's Louisiana primary contest. We also outline key information about Nebraska's primary elections before voting concludes this evening.
Republican backing for Trump's impeachment has dwindled over time. Could Senator Bill Cassidy be the upcoming target?
According to political analyst Steve Kornacki, Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy—among seven GOP senators who supported convicting then-President Donald Trump during the January 2021 impeachment proceedings—may face a political reckoning as early as this Saturday evening. The Republican primary scheduled for Saturday will feature Cassidy facing off against Rep. Julia Letlow, endorsed by Trump, alongside former Rep. John Fleming, who now serves as state Treasurer.
Survey data reflects a competitive three-way race, with a runoff scheduled for June 27 should no candidate achieve a majority in the initial round. Cassidy could potentially progress to that round. He has directed substantial funding toward criticising Letlow, which appears to have benefited Fleming, whose campaign emphasises support for Trump. However, even if Cassidy secures a top-two placement this weekend, a June win seems improbable.
A recent change to state election regulations in Louisiana has restricted Saturday's primary to voters registered with the Republican Party. Previously, Louisiana employed an open primary system where all party candidates competed on a single ballot, with the leading two contenders proceeding to a second round of voting. This change is expected to concentrate the electorate primarily among dedicated Republican voters, a group where support for Trump remains strong.
Following his impeachment vote related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol events, Cassidy has faced distrust and opposition from a portion of the electorate. Saturday's proceedings will exclude independents and Democrats who may have viewed his impeachment vote favorably but hold reservations about the former president.
Of the 17 congressional Republicans who cast impeachment or conviction votes against Trump in 2021, only three won reelection, all competing under open primary systems that allowed crossover voting. I'm ready to rewrite sentences according to the specified requirements. Please provide the sentence you'd like me to rewrite, along with the integrated prompt details (journalist_style_description, reading_level, language_variant), biasTypes, and iteration number.
Representatives Dan Newhouse and David Valadao secured first and second place in their respective 2022 primary elections in Washington state and California, both of which allowed participation from all voters and included nominees from multiple parties. Both subsequently secured victories in the November elections, with Newhouse choosing not to pursue re-election this cycle and Valadao campaigning for an additional term, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska won re-election under a comparable system in 2022.
Republican lawmakers who supported impeachment and subsequently faced party-only primary elections either lost their races or chose not to seek reelection.
One potential outlier stands out: Senator Susan Collins of Maine. This year's election will see her seeking another term without any challengers in the Republican primary contest. Although independents may participate in Maine, the contest will not function as a fully closed primary. The distinguishing factor, however, is that Collins has not faced a primary opponent endorsed by Trump, with the president reportedly viewing her as the sole Republican candidate capable of prevailing in a statewide contest in Maine, which tends to favor Democrats.
Given the political differences between Louisiana and Maine, Trump and his base appear prepared to pursue efforts aimed at removing Cassidy from office at the earliest opportunity.
Elections are taking place today in Nebraska and West Virginia, following Louisiana's Senate primary on Saturday (the state's House races were delayed to incorporate an updated congressional map). Nebraska hosts the two primary contests drawing the most attention. NBC News correspondents Alexandra Marquez, Bridget Bowman and Ben Kamisar provide analysis of key developments expected at 9 p.m. ET poll closings.
In Nebraska's 2nd District, a nominee will be selected for what the party views as a competitive race this autumn. The 2nd District based in Omaha represents one of three constituencies where Republicans secured victory in 2024 despite former Vice President Kamala Harris winning the district. Republican Representative Don Bacon has chosen not to seek another term.
The Democratic primary race, which has drawn over $5 million in advertising expenditures according to AdImpact, is headed by local political organizer Denise Powell and state Sen. John Cavanaugh, who represent centrist and left-leaning positions respectively. The fate of Nebraska's single Electoral College vote in presidential contests has become a prominent campaign issue.
Cavanaugh holds an important vote within the Democratic minority, though Nebraska's single-chamber Legislature operates without official party designations. Powell and her supporters contend that a November victory for the governor would result in specific policy changes. Jim Pillen plans to name a Republican successor, potentially strengthening the party's legislative majority enough to alter how the state allocates its Electoral College votes from a split system to one where the statewide winner receives all electors.
In the GOP primary, Omaha City Council member Brinker Harding ran unopposed for the nomination.
Following a seven-point loss to Republican Senator Deb Fischer in 2024, independent candidate Dan Osborn has announced another campaign, this time targeting GOP Senator Pete Ricketts in a state where Democrats view him as their strongest contender despite its conservative lean. The day's nominating contest will reveal if a Democratic candidate officially qualifies for ballot placement.
The primary ballot includes two Democrats: Cindy Burbank, who works as a pharmacy technician, and William Forbes, who serves as a pastor. Forbes submitted his Senate candidacy shortly before the filing cutoff, prompting party members to allege he was positioned to draw support away from Osborn in the general election. Forbes, a self-identified Democrat who supported Trump in the previous election and participated in training for conservative political hopefuls, explained to CNN that he joined the contest after his party failed to nominate anyone for the position.
Burbank stated to the network that her candidacy filing stemmed from worries that Forbes might draw support away from Osborn. She disputed that her campaign's purpose from the outset was to withdraw following the primary and enable Osborn to compete directly against Ricketts. Burbank indicated she would withdraw from the contest should her prospects for a November win appear unlikely, adding that she would endorse Osborn under those circumstances.
This concludes the political coverage for the present time. Adam Wollner assembled this edition of the newsletter. If you have thoughts to share — positive or negative — reach out to us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com, and feel free to pass this along to your networks. Registration is available at this location.