When You Can't Win on Your Merits, Change the Rules

How Bill Cassidy and Cameron Henry almost rigged the 2026 election.

Over the weekend, Louisiana Republicans witnessed something that should make every conservative voter's blood boil. Senate President Cameron Henry was caught red-handed trying to orchestrate a scheme that would have fundamentally rigged the 2026 U.S. Senate race in favor of Bill Cassidy, a senator who has repeatedly shown he's more interested in preaching to Louisiana voters than representing them.

The plan was simple and devious: eliminate the runoff election in Louisiana's new closed Republican primary system. Instead of requiring a candidate to win a majority of Republican votes, Cassidy could win the nomination with just a plurality, potentially as little as 27-32% of GOP voters in a crowded field.

Think about how fundamentally corrupt that is. Conservatives fought hard for the closed primary system specifically so Republican voters could choose their own candidate without interference from Democrats or independents. We wanted to police our own party and ensure our nominee actually represented the majority of Republican values. And before the ink was even dry on that legislation, Henry was ready to gut it to save his establishment buddy.

The Scheme Unraveled

The whole dirty deal started three weeks ago when Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter asked if eliminating the second primary could save the state money, about $3.2 million, as it turns out. Rep. Beau Beaullieu, who authored the omnibus election bill (HB 592), immediately shot down the idea as bad policy. Kleinpeter dropped it.

But that's when Henry stepped in. Word started leaking that the Senate President was shopping around for someone to introduce a floor amendment that would eliminate the runoff requirement. Two legislators told The Advocate that Cassidy himself called them to discuss this scheme. A sitting U.S. senator personally lobbied state legislators to change election laws to benefit his own reelection.

That's not just ethically questionable. It's the kind of insider dealing that makes Louisiana politics a national laughingstock.

Why This Matters for Conservatives

Bill Cassidy faces a serious problem in 2026. He's already got State Treasurer John Fleming challenging him, and rumors suggest Rep. Blake Miguez and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta are also considering runs. All three are significantly more conservative than Cassidy, who has spent years alienating the Republican base.

The math is simple: in a crowded conservative field, Cassidy's ceiling is probably around 32% of Republican voters. In a traditional runoff system, he'd face the strongest conservative challenger head-to-head and likely lose. But eliminate the runoff? Suddenly, less than a third of Republicans could determine who represents the entire party in the general election.

That's not democracy. That's manipulation.

The Democrats' Angle

Here's where it gets even more interesting. Democrats were reportedly ready to help Henry pass this amendment, and their reasoning reveals the true scope of this scheme.

First, Democrats in Louisiana are broke. They can't raise money like they used to, so eliminating expensive runoffs saves them cash for general elections.

But second, and this is the kicker, there's buzz that Democrats want to run John Bel Edwards against whoever emerges from the GOP primary. Picture this scenario: Cassidy wins a Republican primary with just 30% of GOP voters supporting him, then faces Edwards, a former governor who has won statewide twice already.

How many angry Republicans, disgusted that their party was handed to a candidate most of them rejected, would simply stay home? Edwards could back into another major office riding a wave of Republican voter apathy and disgust.

The People Fought Back

The good news is that when sunlight hit this scheme (thanks to Scott McKay at The Hayride breaking the story and talk radio hosts across the state amplifying it) Louisiana Republicans responded with fury.

Rep. Julie Emerson, who authored the original closed primary legislation, declared herself "100% opposed" to any changes. Republican women's groups mobilized. Legislators' phones started ringing off the hook with angry constituents.

By Sunday, the scheme was dead. The omnibus election bill passed without any amendments eliminating the runoff requirement.

The Broader Problem

But here's what should terrify every conservative: they were willing to try this in the first place. And because the same people are still in power with the same motivations, they could try to sneak similar changes in elsewhere.

This incident perfectly encapsulates what's wrong with Bill Cassidy's approach to representing Louisiana. When he voted to convict Donald Trump after January 6th, he ignored the overwhelming sentiment of Louisiana Republicans. When he positions himself as the adult in the room who knows better than his constituents, he's showing the same arrogance.

I don't care how many medical degrees he has or how smart he thinks he is. His job is to represent Louisiana Republicans, not lecture them. I have more respect for Democrats who listen to their voters than Republicans like Cassidy who act like they're doing us a favor by ignoring our views.

What This Means Going Forward

Cameron Henry's self-imposed rule requires 25 of 39 senators to support something before he brings it to the floor. It's a terrible policy that prevents tough votes on important issues, but in this case, it probably saved us from seeing this scheme implemented.

The problem is that Henry and his allies haven't given up on helping Cassidy avoid a fair fight with conservative challengers. They're just going to be more careful about how they do it.

Louisiana Republicans need to stay vigilant. We need to make it clear that any attempt to manipulate the election process—whether through rule changes, procedural tricks, or backroom deals—will be met with fierce resistance.

We fought for a closed primary system so Republican voters could choose Republican candidates. That system deserves a chance to work as intended, not to be gutted the moment it becomes inconvenient for establishment politicians.

Louisiana Politics at Its Best/Worst

When you can't win on your merits, you change the rules. That's exactly what Bill Cassidy and Cameron Henry tried to do, and it's exactly why Louisiana conservatives need to remain engaged and angry about this betrayal.

We dodged a bullet this time, but only because enough people spoke up. The next time they try something like this (and there will be a next time) we need to be ready to fight back even harder.

Louisiana Republicans deserve better than schemes cooked up in back rooms to protect politicians who have forgotten who they work for. In 2026, we'll have our chance to remind them.