As 2026 begins, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy faces one of the most perilous reelection paths of any Republican incumbent in America, with lingering backlash over his impeachment vote and a newly restructured Louisiana primary system that offers him no easy runway. One of his challengers, State Rep. Julie Emerson, is out early with a major campaign video as the 2026 cycle begins.

In the video, Emerson lays out a clear argument. Oil and gas has always been the engine of Louisiana’s economy, and reviving it is essential to resetting the state’s future.

Drawing from her childhood growing up in Lafayette during the 1990s, Emerson recalls a South Louisiana defined by opportunity. Restaurants were full. Retail centers were busy. Working families could count on good jobs. That prosperity, she argues, was no accident. It was built by a strong energy industry that funded schools, paved roads, and supported generations across Acadiana and beyond.

Emerson places the industry’s decline squarely on Washington Democrats. She points to Obama-era green initiatives, later culminating in the Green New Deal under Joe Biden, as policies that restricted drilling, imposed heavy regulation, and cost Louisiana jobs. Many voters still remember Jeff Landry, then a congressman, holding up a “Drilling = Jobs” sign during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union following the federal drilling moratorium.

Emerson goes on to highlight recent legislative wins she supported, including cutting the severance tax in half and cracking down on abusive legacy lawsuits. These moves were aimed at making Louisiana competitive again. She also credits Donald Trump for reopening federal energy leases in the Gulf of Mexico.

But Emerson argues that short-term actions are not enough. Her broader message is a call for stable, predictable federal energy policy that allows businesses to invest for decades, create jobs, and keep Louisiana powering America.

The setting of the video is notable. Filmed at the Port of Iberia and the Port of Terrebonne, both hubs of oil and gas activity that have seen better days, Emerson launched her 2026 media effort in the heart of her opponent’s State Sen. Blake Miguez’s district.

The message here is clear. Emerson is asserting that Acadiana and the energy economy are central terrain in this race, and that no candidate has a monopoly on either.

Emerson also has a solid asset in her camp, as a political action committee supporting her just announced it has built a significant war chest for the race…

Louisiana’s Future Fund, a Super PAC supporting Julie Emerson’s campaign for U.S. Senate, will report more than $500,000 raised for the fourth quarter of 2025. 

Julie Emerson, Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee and seen as one of Louisiana’s most effective legislators is challenging Sen. Bill Cassidy who famously voted to impeach President Trump in early 2021 after the events of January 6th.

“I think Julie presents a real alternative to Bill Cassidy without coming across as a fringe candidate.” Said Robert Cahaly, chairman of Louisiana’s Future Fund.

“All the polling I’ve seen on Cassidy shows that he doesn’t have a path to re-election,” said Cahaly. “I’m shocked he is still pursuing this. I would imagine he regrets it by now.”

Emerson, Miguez, State Treasurer John Fleming and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta are the chief notable Republican challengers to Cassidy. The GOP primary is on May 16th, 2026 with a June 27th runoff.