A Donald Trump-backed candidate for a critical Senate seat in Louisiana will advance to the runoffs, after Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) failed to hold onto his seat or even claw enough votes to gain second place. Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) was leading with more than 40 percent of the vote late on Saturday, according to live reporting by CNN. Behind her, Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming advanced with just under 30 percent of the vote, according to AP as it called the race in his favor. Cassidy struggled to reel in more than a quarter of the votes, and he was eliminated from the runoff with just over 24 percent of the vote. The GOP incumbent was facing the ire of Trump for voting to convict him during his second impeachment over the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol.Letlow will compete against Fleming in a Republican Senate primary runoff on June 27 in Louisiana, NBC News projects.