A majority of Louisiana’s small but powerful Republican governing body pledged to endorse state Treasurer John Fleming in his bid against Sen. Bill Cassidy, according to documents reviewed by the National Journal.
Fleming, who’s also running against Rep. Julia Letlow, the candidate backed by President Trump, has been quietly working behind the scenes to secure backing from members of the Republican State Central Committee, a group of roughly 230 popularly elected members who represent more than a million registered Republicans across the Bayou State. The RSCC elects eight members on the executive committee running the state’s Republican Party.
A review of the endorsement pledges, provided to National Journal from the Fleming campaign, indicates he has the backing of 117 members. Securing that simple majority allows for the candidate to ask the executive committee running the state’s Republican Party for its endorsement. If granted, it would mark a big win for Fleming—who has been struggling to fundraise for an expensive and competitive GOP primary next week.
Fleming—a physician, a former White House aide in Trump's first term, and a former congressman—says he’s already making calls to the Louisiana GOP’s executive committee to secure the larger endorsement. As of Thursday, he has submitted the endorsements to be vetted and certified.
“We’re getting overwhelming endorsements, if you will, of our performance,” Fleming said. “We’re getting rave reviews. We’re real happy.”
But whether or not this could amount to a larger endorsement from the statewide Republican Party remains in doubt.
Derek Babcock, the chair of the Louisiana GOP, told National Journal that once the committee receives the endorsements, he would convene a meeting of the seven executive members to review the paperwork and then decide whether or not to get involved in the primary. But with the state enacting new closed primaries, Babcock signaled that the committee would likely not get involved.
“Our job is to get Republicans elected,” Babcock said in an interview. “The committee has said we don't want to get involved in the closed primary.”
The RSCC, however, is scheduled to meet as a body next month on June 13—two weeks before a potential runoff that seems increasingly likely. Members could make a motion to get involved in the primary, and vote to endorse a candidate. None of the three leading candidates have significantly pulled away from the others in polling. And if the runoff is between Letlow and Fleming, any boost for the candidate could help in such a competitive race.
“It'll be a battle royale on the floor of the committee to try to get the votes to endorse one of them,” said one RSCC member.
But the way voting will proceed could influence the outcome. Once the group convenes in June, the body will have to decide what maneuver it will use to proceed with an endorsement vote—whether it’s a secret ballot, or a public roll-call vote. The RSCC member emphasized that some members may be wary of publicly backing Fleming versus a Trump-backed pick who also has the support of Gov. Jeff Landry. This could force some members to publicly switch their support to Letlow, the RSCC member said.
Whether or not an endorsement like this could make a difference in the race remains to be seen. Fleming, who raised roughly $45,000 in the first quarter compared to the millions raised by Cassidy and Letlow, has focused on small-dollar donors and retail politics—a strategy that has garnered him competitive standing against the two federal lawmakers. Some are predicting that Fleming could find himself in the runoff.
“I think it's a big deal for him, especially someone that doesn't have a lot of money,” the RSCC member said. “If it is Fleming and Letlow in the runoff and we do go to that meeting on the 13th and he winds up getting the endorsement, it could be a game changer.”
Others, however, were not convinced that an endorsement would weigh too heavily compared to the endorsements of Trump and Landry.
“I think it moves the needle a scintilla, and not much more,” said James Hartman, a Louisiana GOP strategist. “I think had it happened six months ago, it would’ve been much more meaningful. … On the other hand, this could be a close race. Every little bit counts, as Dr. Fleming certainly knows.”
