Julia Letlow

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has endorsed Julia Letlow in the ferocious Republican primary election for U.S. Senate against incumbent Bill Cassidy and Treasurer John Fleming.

“Julia doesn’t just talk about defending our constitutional freedoms; she fights for them every single day,” Murrill said in a news release. “I know from personal experience that she stands with law enforcement, believes in enforcing our laws as written, and refuses to back down when Washington threatens Louisiana’s sovereignty.”

Murrill joins President Donald Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry in endorsing Letlow. It’s a rare case of prominent Republican officials supporting a push to unseat a sitting senator of their own party — Cassidy upset many conservatives when he voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges related to riots at the U.S. Capitol after the 2020 election.

“I am grateful for Attorney General Murrill’s endorsement and for her strong leadership in defending the rule of law in Louisiana,” Letlow said in the release. “We share a deep commitment to protecting our constitutional rights, keeping our communities safe, and ensuring our state has a strong voice in Washington.”

Letlow, Cassidy and Fleming will face off on May 16 in the state’s new closed primary elections, in which only Republicans and “no party” voters can participate. Early voting is from May 2-9, excluding Sunday.

Polls suggest a close race, which is likely to head to a runoff on June 27.