Louisiana State Representative Julie Emerson Announces Bid for U.S. Senate

CARENCRO, La. (KPEL News) — Another candidate has jumped into the race for Senator Bill Cassidy's seat, and it's another candidate from here in Acadiana.

State Representative Julie Emerson of Carencro announced her bid for Senate on Monday morning with the message "America's best days are ahead."

Emerson, who is currently the chair of the Ways and Means Committee in the Louisiana House, appears set to run on her record as a legislator. She cites bills she carried and pushed for, as well as economic and business policies that have begun moving the state in a better direction.

The Race for Cassidy's Seat

Emerson is the latest in a growing slate of candidates seeking to knock Sen. Bill Cassidy out of office.

The other major Republicans include Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, a former U.S. Representative who announced in December 2024. State Sen. Blake Miguez from Acadiana jumped in during June 2025. Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, who co-chaired Trump’s Louisiana campaigns, is also running.

Several other Republicans filed paperwork, including Randall Arrington, a retired Navy aviator and college professor, and Sammy Wyatt from LSU Health-Shreveport.

Most recently, another woman announced a bid. Kathy Seiden, a parish councilwoman in St. Tammany, made her announcement as well.

READ MORE: St. Tammany Councilwoman Launches U.S. Senate Bid

No Democrats have filed yet.

Louisiana Changed How It Picks Senators

The 2026 Senate race uses a different system than Louisiana voters are used to. Gov. Jeff Landry signed House Bill 17 in 2024, ending the state’s jungle primary for the first time since 2010, according to Wikipedia.

Here’s how it works now: Republicans and Democrats vote in separate primaries on April 18, 2026. Unaffiliated voters can participate, but you can’t cross party lines. If nobody gets 50% in the primary, the top two candidates go to a runoff on May 30, 2026. The general election happens November 3, 2026, with a possible runoff December 12.

The Polling Shows Cassidy Has Problems

Cassidy’s numbers tell two different stories. A Ragnar Research poll from May 2025, reported by KTAL, found Cassidy with 44% favorable and 34% unfavorable among likely Republican voters. Forty-five percent said they’d vote for him. His favorability topped 40% across all demographics.

Morning Consult polling from April 2025 looked better, giving Cassidy a 69% approval rating among registered Republicans and 64% among conservatives. His campaign reported over $6.5 million in the bank.

But Fleming’s internal polling tells a different story. His February 2025 poll, reported by The Washington Examiner, showed Fleming at 29% among likely Republican primary voters, Cassidy at 27%, with 36% undecided. Head-to-head, Fleming led 40% to 27%, with 33% undecided.

Morning Consult’s January 2025 analysis noted Cassidy’s approval hit a four-year high, but he’s still weaker than Sen. John Kennedy and Gov. Jeff Landry. His “strong approval” sits at 27%—better than after the impeachment vote but not great.