Several members of the Louisiana state Republican governing body are rescinding their endorsements of state Treasurer John Fleming in his bid for Senate ahead of the May 16 primary.
Last week, National Journal reported that Fleming claimed a majority of endorsements from the Republican State Central Committee, an influential group of roughly 230 popularly elected members who represent more than a million registered Republicans across the Bayou State. Fleming filed paperwork to the group’s executive board last week claiming 117 members had signed affidavits endorsing his campaign.
Four members of the RSCC rescinded their endorsement since National Journal’s reporting, while one was considered invalid because the person is not officially an RSCC member yet, according to a member and staffer for the Louisiana GOP, along with Fleming’s campaign.
This brings Fleming below the majority threshold that would have allowed him to ask the state GOP executive committee for an endorsement from the state party—delivering a blow to a candidate who has been competitively gaining traction in a three-way primary along with Sen. Bill Cassidy and Rep. Julia Letlow.
“This is yet another example of John Fleming making things up and getting caught," Katherine Thordahl, Letlow's communications director, said in a written statement. "His failing campaign is on life support because Louisiana voters do not want a paid D.C. lobbyist representing them in the United States Senate."
Letlow and Fleming have been quietly working behind the scenes to secure endorsements from members, with Fleming having an advantage as he’s been courting endorsements for the last year and a half. Letlow has been campaigning only for the last four months, but she has won the backing of President Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry.
While it’s unclear which members requested the rescissions, RSCC members who spoke to National Journal pointed to the sensitive nature of the endorsements and the optics of going against a candidate who has been endorsed by both the president and the governor.
Two RSCC members, granted anonymity to speak candidly, noted that a number of Fleming’s pledged endorsements had come before Letlow jumped into the race and was given the president’s backing.
“There was too much pressure to be public about their endorsement,” one said. “There were people signing endorsements for [Fleming] a year ago when we didn't know who was going to run [against Cassidy]. That was one thing Fleming did well, was get in very early.”
The pulled endorsements come a week after primary challengers backed by Trump defeated several Indiana state lawmakers who opposed the White House’s efforts to redraw the state's congressional maps last year.
According to documents obtained by the National Journal, the majority of RSCC endorsements for Fleming came before Letlow had entered the race in January.
Both RSCC members also said the rescissions of endorsements are likely linked to National Journal’s reporting, as the endorsements were given to Fleming on condition of anonymity and that the paperwork would be shared only with the RSCC’s executive board. One RSCC member who was briefed on the matter said that this was the “biggest single reason,” along with a few members flipping their endorsements because they were "genuinely for Julia.”
Another RSCC member also pointed to the potential consequences of going against Landry, a powerful figure in Louisiana politics who has publicly supported the congresswoman in her bid against Cassidy, and who changed the state’s open primary to a closed one in an effort to oust the incumbent.
“There’s a lot of fear from Republicans because the governor is kind of vindictive,” the member said.
Fleming, however, is standing by his decision to bring light to the issue, claiming that Landry is putting political pressure on members to pull back their support.
“My understanding is that Governor Landry had called around trying to get people to change their votes, to switch to Julia Letlow,” Fleming told National Journal Monday. “I don't have any proof of it, but it smacks of interference by the governor. He’s interfered with everything else; I don’t know why he wouldn’t do it for this as well.”
A spokesperson for Landry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After receiving the endorsement paperwork Thursday, the state GOP executive board held a meeting Friday night and announced the next morning that it would table consideration of any endorsement until after the primary election this upcoming Saturday. Staff on the executive committee had called a number of RSCC members to verify the endorsements until it became clear that Fleming had not reached a majority threshold of 113 signatures, according to a staffer for the Louisiana GOP. More members could look to rescind their endorsements. Members are allowed to endorse one, multiple, or no candidates in the race.
In an email sent to RSCC members Saturday morning, state GOP chair Derek Babcock also noted that some executive-committee members wanted Republican voters—not the panel—to pick the party’s nominee in the Senate race. However, despite the fact that Babcock had signaled to National Journal that the board would look to stay out of the primary, the email did not exclude the possibility of an endorsement—stating only that the committee would table consideration until May 18.
Fleming also told National Journal Monday he would look to resubmit signatures once he reaches the majority threshold—but that he wants to pick up five to 10 more endorsements “to overcome any last-minute dropouts like before.”
