Sen. Bill Cassidy’s Losing Legacy: He Gave America RFK Jr.
Sen. Bill Cassidy's recent political downfall highlights his controversial support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary. Cassidy received only 25 percent of the vote in Louisiana's Republican Senate primary, marking a significant decline in his political standing. His legacy is now intertwined with the degradation of the nation's health care system and the rise of anti-vaccine sentiment under Kennedy's leadership.
- ▪Sen. Bill Cassidy received only 25 percent of the vote in Louisiana's Republican Senate primary.
- ▪This marks the first time since 1944 that an elected senator placed third or worse in a primary.
- ▪Cassidy provided the deciding vote to advance RFK Jr.'s nomination for health secretary, despite Kennedy's subsequent anti-vaccine stance.
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| Publication time | Sun, 17 May 2026 19:16:58 +0000 |
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freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "motherjones_right_rail_1", slotId: "ROS_ATF_300x600" }); Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., greets Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., May 14, 2025.John McDonnell/AP Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. Sen. Bill Cassidy may remember coming in third place, but the American people will be left with his legacy of playing a role in degrading the nation’s health care system. On Saturday, Cassidy won only roughly 25 percent of the vote for Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary—in a group of candidates led by President Donald Trump’s pick, Julia Letlow—thereby failing to qualify for the runoff in June.
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