Bill Cassidy draws GOP fire for energy, climate stances

By Timothy Cama | 01/14/2025 06:32 AM EST

The Louisiana Republican senator is facing a challenge from former Rep. John Fleming, who accused the incumbent of allying with Democrats on climate change.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) walks in the Capitol.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) walks to a vote at the Capitol on July 31, 2024. Francis Chung/POLITICO

Sen. Bill Cassidy’s record on climate change could be a drag on his reelection bid as he fights off a primary challenge from the right.

And the Louisiana Republican could be at even further risk due to changes in his state’s elections, which now allow party primaries.

Cassidy has been working for years to impose tariffs on certain carbon goods imported into the United States whose production is carbon dioxide-intensive, linking climate with the GOP’s desire to hobble China and give domestic manufacturing sectors a leg up. He rolled out a new version of his “Foreign Pollution Fee Act” last month.

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But the carbon fee initiative, already opposed by some conservative groups, could fuel his Republican critics as he seeks another six-year term in a fossil fuel-heavy state with voters skeptical of climate policies.

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