Washington — GOP Rep. Julia Letlow is jumping into the Louisiana Senate race after President Trump encouraged her to challenge sitting Sen. Bill Cassidy in the state’s primary. 

Mr. Trump encouraged Letlow to run for the seat in a post on Truth Social on Saturday, pledging to endorse her should she enter the race. 

The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report said Letlow announced she was entering the race at a breakfast event hosted by the publication in Louisiana on Tuesday morning. 

“It’s an honor to share with you, after the endorsement and encouragement from the president of the United States, Donald Trump, that I will officially be announcing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate,” Letlow said, according to the Business Report. CBS News has reached out to Letlow’s political operation for comment.

Cassidy said Letlow also called him to share the news. 

“Congresswoman Letlow called me this morning to say she was running,” Cassidy said in a statement to CBS News. “She said she respected me and that I had done a good job. I will continue to do a good job when I win re-election. I am a conservative who wakes up every morning thinking about how to make Louisiana and the United States a better place to live.” 

Letlow has represented Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District in the House since 2021, when she won a special election for the seat following the death of her husband, who died from complications related to COVID-19 before he could be sworn into office. Letlow, 44, became the first Republican woman elected to represent Louisiana in Congress. 

The president called Letlow a “TOTAL WINNER!” and “Great Star” in his post on Truth Social backing her potential Senate bid. 

“A Proud Mother of two children, Julia is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Louisiana, and would continue doing so in the United States Senate,” Mr. Trump said. “Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!”

Mr. Trump’s move to back Letlow comes as Cassidy, a Republican who has occasionally broken with his party, is seeking a third term in the Senate.

Cassidy, 68, was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Mr. Trump in his impeachment trial after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021. And more recently, the Louisiana Republican, who’s a medical doctor, has also been at odds with the administration over HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership.

Cassidy delivered the key vote to advance Kennedy’s nomination out of committee and assure his confirmation in February, despite doubts over Kennedy’s views on vaccines. But Cassidy has since broken with the HHS secretary on multiple occasions. 

He has made an effort to work with the administration on health care issues like addressing the cost of insurance, introducing a measure to put funds into health savings accounts as the president pushed for sending money directly to Americans rather than insurance companies.

Letlow’s entrance into the race, and the president’s backing, is expected to create difficulties for Senate GOP leaders. Just days ahead of the president’s announcement, Senate Majority Leader John Thune joined Cassidy on the campaign trail in Louisiana. And although the seat is considered safe for Republicans, the president’s move could threaten key votes in the Senate going forward, since Cassidy may be less inclined to fall in line.