Oil donors cling to Cassidy in Louisiana primary

By Timothy Cama | 05/15/2026 06:25 AM EDT

Republican voters will head to the polls in the Pelican State on Saturday in one of the year’s most contested primaries.

Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is seeking a third Senate term but must first win a crowded GOP primary battle. Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Oil and natural gas companies are lining up behind Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy as he fights an uphill primary battle.

Cassidy, a senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and outspoken ally of oil, has gotten about $120,000 in campaign contributions from donors and political action committees in oil and adjacent industries since the beginning of last year, a review of his campaign disclosures by POLITICO’s E&E News shows.

Rep. Julia Letlow got about $43,500 from industry sources since entering the race in January, disclosures show. Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming got $12,750 from oil and gas.

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Cassidy took in $14,500 from oil and gas in the same period, though many of his donors had already given the maximum allowable amount by then. Fleming got $3,500 of his total in that time period.

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