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President Donald Trump’s endorsement Saturday night of U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow to be Louisiana’s next senator has dramatically shaken up a race where Sen. Bill Cassidy already had four major Republican challengers, political insiders said Sunday.

Trump’s decision makes it likely that Letlow will formally enter the race in the coming days and adds to the headwinds that Cassidy was facing to win a third six-year term.

For months, given the president’s dominant role in Republican politics, the biggest question in Louisiana politics has been whether Trump would endorse Letlow, one of Cassidy’s already-announced challengers or stay neutral in the race. Letlow has been expected to get in only if Trump endorsed her.

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“I don’t understand the president’s deal,” said Eddie Rispone, a Baton Rouge business owner and major Republican fundraiser who was nearly elected governor in 2019 and is supporting Cassidy. “I think it’s pretty ridiculous. You have a great guy making a difference. He chairs a major committee and is on the Finance Committee. She’s obviously a smart person, but she’s not even a seasoned congresswoman. It doesn’t make sense to me. They’re all running on one vote he made on impeachment.”

If Letlow does indeed announce her candidacy, Cassidy’s challengers – state treasurer John Fleming, state Sen. Blake Miguez, state Rep. Julie Emerson and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta – must then decide whether to stay in the race.

Cassidy also faces that decision, although he has a massive fund-raising advantage over his Republican opponents and Letlow, at least at this point. His campaign said it has $11 million in cash, while a supportive super PAC, Louisiana Freedom Fund, had another $2.4 million on hand as of July 30, when it last reported to the FEC.

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“I’m proudly running for re-election as a principled conservative who gets things done for the people of Louisiana,” Cassidy said in a statement Saturday evening. “I am confident I will win if Congresswoman Letlow decides to run.”

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In December, Letlow, 44, got engaged at the White House to Kevin Ainsworth, a Baton Rouge lawyer and lobbyist.

Trump called them up to the stage to congratulate them and in his Truth Social post Saturday night wrote, “Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

She’s in an enviable position, said Scott Wilfong, a Republican campaign operative.

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“It’s going to make an interesting line of conversation in Washington Mardi Gras, with the buzz that’s always there,” said Rodney Alexander, a lobbyist who formerly held Letlow’s congressional seat. “There are always a lot of influential people in business and politics together there at one time.”

Republican insiders have been complaining privately for weeks about Letlow’s inaction over whether to run for a full third term in the House or give up that seat and challenge Cassidy, as qualifying the Senate and congressional races grew closer and closer.

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That Trump announced the decision Saturday night caught most people by surprise.

Landry, Fleming, Miguez and Emerson were all attending an annual fund-raising gala for Louisiana Right to Life at Le Pavillion in Lafayette when news broke. Word spread like wildfire in the room. (Cassidy had attended the group’s gala event in New Orleans the night before.)

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Other heavy-hitters who showed their support for Cassidy were Baton Rouge business owner Lane Grigsby, Baton Rouge trial attorney Gordon McKernan and state Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie.

“It does not change my support [of Cassidy],” Henry said Sunday, referring to Trump’s endorsement.

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James Davison, a major business owner and donor in Ruston, said he had thought Trump would stay neutral.

“I like her a lot and am close to her,” Davison said and added, “I think Cassidy has done a lot of us. I’m alright either way. I hate to see two Republicans running against each other who are strong.”

On Sunday, Fleming said in a text that he’s staying in the race and that polls show him thumping Cassidy head-to-head in a Republican Party runoff.

Miguez and Emerson have both been touting themselves as young MAGA warriors. They didn’t respond to texts on Sunday.

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If Letlow runs for the Senate, that will create a wide-open race for her 5th Congressional District, which was based in northeast Louisiana when Letlow was first elected in 2021 but has been reconfigured and now includes the Florida Parishes and predominantly White precincts in Baton Rouge.

State Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, on Sunday said he would run, while state Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, texted an advertising logo he has already designed for his campaign.

State Sen. Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe, state Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Hessmer, and state Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, all said on Sunday they are considering the race.

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Definitely some political dominoes locally in Louisiana will fall if Julie Letlow does decide to enter the Senate race.

Also, Rodney Alexander is still slithering around DC as a lobbyist? Holy shite. No wonder our federal government is so screwed up. Even when these people "retire" or are defeated, they NEVER fricking leave.