(The Center Square) − U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is leaning on endorsements from Senate GOP leaders, strong fundraising numbers, and grassroots support as he works to solidify his position in a crowded Republican primary for the 2026 election.

“I’m ready to continue working and winning for Louisiana,” Cassidy told supporters at a recent campaign stop, part of a statewide swing during the August recess. “I’ll work with President Trump. I’ll work with you. Let’s get the job done.”

Cassidy’s campaign kickoff last month at Drago’s Seafood Restaurant in Metairie drew a packed crowd and set the tone for a high-profile race. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., have since thrown their support behind him, a signal that national Republicans are firmly behind the two-term senator.

“I’ve been honored to work alongside Bill Cassidy, a dedicated doctor and one of the most effective conservative leaders in the Senate,” Thune said in a statement. Scott called Cassidy “a physician and family man who’s devoted to serving Louisiana and our nation.”

Second-term Republican President Donald Trump has also praised Cassidy’s work on GOP priorities, including the HALT Fentanyl Act and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping tax cut measure. Those efforts have allowed Cassidy to present himself as aligned with Trump-era policies despite lingering discontent among some conservatives over his 2021 vote to convict Trump in the second impeachment trial.

Cassidy enters the race with a formidable advantage. His campaign reported raising $2.1 million in the second quarter of 2025, with $9 million cash on hand – more than double the combined totals of his rivals.

A pro-Cassidy super PAC added another $2.5 million in reserves heading into the fall. Recent polling from his campaign shows him with 93% name recognition among likely GOP voters and a nearly 30-point lead in the primary.

Since launching, Cassidy has visited 15 parishes, highlighting the grassroots side of his campaign, his staff said. His campaign notes that he has consistently delivered for Louisiana, pointing to $1.3 billion in federal funding secured in fiscal 2024 alone.

But the race remains competitive. Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, State Treasurer John Fleming, state Sen. Blake Miguez, and LSU Health Shreveport official Sammy Wyatt have all entered the primary. Each has sought to portray Cassidy as disloyal to Trump, casting the contest as a referendum on the president’s “America First” agenda.

“Phony politicians like Bill Cassidy can’t shoot straight. But I can,” Miguez said when he launched his campaign, labeling Cassidy a Republican in name only. Fleming, a former Trump administration official and Freedom Caucus cofounder, said Cassidy’s impeachment vote “disqualifies him from representing Louisiana’s conservative values.”

Cassidy, a physician first elected to the Senate in 2014, has dismissed those attacks, pointing instead to his record of working across the aisle to deliver tangible results for Louisiana.