Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) last week lost in the Louisiana Republican primary, just months after the lawmaker was named a leader in retirement security.
Cassidy on Saturday conceded the race to Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) and state Treasurer John Fleming (R-LA), in an election marked by tensions with President Donald Trump. He had previously voted to convict Trump on impeachment charges following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Trump would later endorse Letlow for the Republican spot in the upcoming Louisiana Senate race, who came out on top with 45% of the vote. Fleming narrowly beat Cassidy to finish second place, followed by Cassidy who scored nearly 28%.
Cassidy avoided naming Trump openly in his concession speech but did direct a few jabs at the president for his past claims of ballot tampering during the 2020 general election.
“When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to,” stated Cassidy. “But you don’t pout. You don’t whine. You don’t claim that an election was stolen from you.”
His loss follows months after the lawmaker was honored as a “Champion of Retirement Security,” alongside Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) by the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) in a December 2025 ceremony.
Cassidy, who also serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and is a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, has sponsored two bills included in IRI’s Retirement Security Blueprint: the Helping Young Americans Save for Retirement Act (S. 1707) and the Auto Reenroll Act (S. 1831).
Both senators also cosponsored the Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act (S.424), a IRI-backed measure that would allow 403(b) retirement plans to invest in collective investment trusts (CITs).
“Senator Cassidy and Senator Kaine embody the spirit and leadership of this award through their strong bipartisan commitment to advance policies to help more of America’s workers and retirees achieve a secure and dignified retirement,” said Wayne Chopus, President and CEO at IRI, during the ceremony.
“Americans who work hard their entire lives deserve to retire with confidence. That’s why we’ve worked to protect their benefits and strengthen the programs they count on,” said Cassidy at the time.