Bill Cassidy

Bill Cassidy

Republican Party

U.S. Senate Louisiana

Tenure

2015 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

9

Predecessor

Mary Landrieu

Prior offices

Louisiana State Senate

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U.S. House Louisiana District 6

Successor: Garret Graves

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Compensation

Base salary

$174,000

Net worth

(2012) $1,592,030

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Louisiana State University

Medical

Louisiana State University

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Doctor

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Official YouTube

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Twitter

Bill Cassidy (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Louisiana. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Cassidy (Republican Party) won re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Louisiana outright in the primary on November 3, 2020, after the general election was canceled.

Cassidy was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, defeating incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and becoming the first Republican to hold the seat since 1883.

In July 2017, Cassidy released a healthcare proposal with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to modify the Affordable Care Act.

Cassidy previously represented Louisiana's 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015.

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Cassidy is an average congressional Republican, meaning he will vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.

Biography

Cassidy was born on September 28, 1957, in Highland Park, IL. He earned his B.S. and M.D. from Louisiana State University in 1979 and 1983, respectively.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Cassidy's political career:

• 2015-Present: U.S. Senator from Louisiana
• 2009-2015: U.S. Representative from Louisiana's 6th Congressional District
• 2006-2008: Louisiana State Senate
• 1983: Graduated from Louisiana State University Medical School, New Orleans, M.D.
• 1979: Graduated from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, B.S.

Prior to his political career, Cassidy worked as a physician.

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2023-2024

Cassidy was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Energy
• Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
• Committee on Finance
• Subcommittee on Health Care
• International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
• Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Ranking Member
• Subcommittee on Children and Families
• Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, Ex officio

2021-2022

Cassidy was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Subcommittee on Children and Families, Ranking member
• Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security
• Joint Economic Committee
• Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Energy
• Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
• Committee on Finance
• Health Care
• Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
• Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Ranking Member

2019-2020

Cassidy was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Joint Economic Committee
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on Finance
• Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

2017-2018

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Cassidy was assigned to the following committees:

• Joint Economic Committee
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Committee on Finance
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs

2015-2016

Cassidy served on the following committees:

• Joint Economic Committee
• Appropriations Committee
  • Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on National Parks, Chairman
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
• Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families
  • Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
  • Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security
• Veterans' Affairs Committee

U.S. House

2013-2014

Cassidy served on the following committees:

• Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power
  • Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy
  • Subcommittee on Health

2011-2012

Cassidy served on the following House committees:

• Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023

The 118th United States Congress began on January 3, 2023, at which point Republicans held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-212), and Democrats held the majority in the U.S. Senate (51-49). Joe Biden (D) was the president and Kamala Harris (D) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023
Vote	Bill and description	Status
Yea	National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (H.R. 2670) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 22, 2023, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2024. The bill required a simple majority vote in the Senate to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (87-13)
Yea	Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024   The Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (H.R. 6363) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on November 17, 2023, providing for the funding of federal agencies through January 19, 2024. The bill prevented a government shutdown that would have taken place if funding was not approved by November 17, 2023. The bill required a three-fifths majority vote in the Senate.	Passed (87-11)
Yea	Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act   The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act (H.R. 5860) was a bill approved by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2023, providing for the funding of federal agencies through November 17, 2023. The bill prevented a government shutdown that would have taken place if funding was not approved by October 1, 2023. The bill required a three-fifths majority vote in the Senate.	Passed (88-9)
Nay	Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023   The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (H.R. 3746) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 3, 2023. The bill raised the federal debt limit until January 2025. The bill also capped non-defense spending in fiscal year 2024, rescinded unspent coronavirus relief funding, rescinded some Internal Revenue Service (IRS) funding, enhanced work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANF), simplified environmental reviews for energy projects, and ended the student loan debt repayment pause in August 2023. The bill required a three-fifths majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more.	Passed (63-36)
Yea	Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.   H.J.Res. 7 (Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on April 10, 2023. The resolution ended the national coronavirus state of emergency, which began on March 13, 2020. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more.	Passed (68-23)
Yea	Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives relating to "Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached 'Stabilizing Braces'".   H.J.Res. 44 (Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives relating to "Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached 'Stabilizing Braces'".) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the House of Representatives and voted down by the Senate. The bill sought to nullify a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) rule establishing criteria to determine whether firearms equipped with stabilizing braces that facilitate shoulder fire were subject to regulation under the National Firearms Act. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the Senate.	Failed (50-49)
Yea	Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights".   H.J.Res. 30 (Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights".) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the 118th Congress and vetoed by President Joe Biden (D) on March 20, 2023. This was Biden's first veto of his presidency. The resolution sought to nullify a Department of Labor rule that amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow retirement plans to consider certain environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors in investment-related decisions. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more.	Passed (50-46)

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Key votes (click "show" to expand or "hide" to contract)

Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023 The 117th United States Congress began on January 3, 2021 and ended on January 3, 2023. At the start of the session, Democrats held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-213), and the U.S. Senate had a 50-50 makeup. Democrats assumed control of the Senate on January 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden (D) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D), who acted as a tie-breaking vote in the chamber, assumed office. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia. Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023 Vote Bill and description Status Yea Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act   The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) was a federal infrastructure bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on November 15, 2021. Among other provisions, the bill provided funding for new infrastructure projects and reauthorizations, Amtrak maintenance and development, bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, and clean energy transmission and power infrastructure upgrades. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Click here to read more. Passed (69-30) Nay American Rescue Plan Act of 2021   The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 11, 2021, to provide economic relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key features of the bill included funding for a national vaccination program and response, funding to safely reopen schools, distribution of $1,400 per person in relief payments, and extended unemployment benefits. The bill required a 1/2 majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more. Passed (50-49) Nay Inflation Reduction Act of 2022   The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 16, 2022, to address climate change, healthcare costs, and tax enforcement. Key features of the bill included a $369 billion investment to address energy security and climate change, an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, allowing Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices, a 15% corporate minimum tax, a 1% stock buyback fee, and enhanced Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement, and an estimated $300 billion deficit reduction from 2022-2031. The bill required a 1/2 majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more. Passed (51-50) Yea National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (S. 1605) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 27, 2021, authorizing Department of Defense acitivities and programs for fiscal year 2022. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Passed (88-11) Yea James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023   The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (H.R. 7776) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2023. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Passed (83-11) Yea Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022   The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (S. 3373) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 10, 2022, that sought to address healthcare access, the presumption of service-connection, and research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Passed (86-11) Yea Chips and Science Act   The Chips and Science Act (H.R. 4346) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 9, 2022, which sought to fund domestic production of semiconductors and authorized various federal science agency programs and activities. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Passed (64-33) Nay Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021   The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 3755) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives. The bill proposed prohibiting governmental restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion services and prohibiting governments from issuing some other abortion-related restrictions. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Failed (46-48) Nay Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022   The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 2471) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 15, 2022, providing for the funding of federal agencies for the remainder of 2022, providing funding for activities related to Ukraine, and modifying or establishing various programs. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Passed (68-31) Nay Respect for Marriage Act   The Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 13, 2022. The bill codified the recognition of marriages between individuals of the same sex and of different races, ethnicities, or national origins, and provided that the law would not impact religious liberty or conscience protections, or provide grounds to compel nonprofit religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Click here to read more. Passed (61-36) Yea Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023   The Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 6833) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2022. It provided for some fiscal year 2023 appropriations, supplemental funds for Ukraine, and extended several other programs and authorities. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Passed (72-25) Yea COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act   The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (S. 937) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on May 20, 2021, that included provisions to designate an officer or employee of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate expedited review of hate crimes, required the DOJ to issue guidance to law enforcement agencies aimed to establish online hate crime reporting processes and to raise awareness about hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and established state grants to create hate crime reporting hotlines, among other related provisions. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Passed (94-1) Yea Postal Service Reform Act of 2022   The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 (H.R. 3076) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on April 6, 2022, that sought to address healthcare and retirement benefits for postal workers, allow USPS to provide certain nonpostal products and services, and expand service performance and budgetary reporting. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Passed (79-19) Yea Bipartisan Safer Communities Act   The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938) was a firearm regulation and mental health bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 25, 2022. Provisions of the bill included expanding background checks for individuals under the age of 21, providing funding for mental health services, preventing individuals who had been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor or felony in dating relationships from purchasing firearms for five years, providing funding for state grants to implement crisis intervention order programs, and providing funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Click here to read more. Passed (65-33) Yea Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act   The Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (H.R. 5305) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2021, that provided for continuing fiscal year 2022 appropriations to federal agencies through December 3, 2021, in order to prevent a government shutdown that would have otherwise occurred if fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills had not been passed by October 1, 2021. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate. Passed (65-35) Guilty Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.   This was a resolution before the 117th Congress setting forth an article of impeachment saying that Donald Trump (R) incited an insurrection against the government of the United States on January 6, 2021. The House of Representatives approved the article of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of the charges. Conviction on the impeachment charges required a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more. Not guilty (57-43) Nay Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022   The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022 (H.R. 350) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives and voted down by the Senate in a failed cloture vote that sought to expand the availability and reporting of information about domestic terrorism, enhance the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) ability to prosecute domestic terrorism, among other things. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Failed (47-47) Nay A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2022 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2023 through 2031.   This concurrent resolution (S.Con.Res. 14) was a budget resolution passed by the 117th Congress outlining the fiscal year 2022 federal government budget, setting forth budgetary levels for fiscal years 2023-2031, and providing reconciliation instructions for legislation that increased the deficit. It contained a proposed framework for the Build Back Better Act. The resolution required 1/2 majority vote in the Senate. Click here to read more. Passed (50-49) Nay Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act   The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act was a federal elections bill approved by the House of Representatives and voted down by the Senate in a failed cloture vote that sought to, among other provisions, make Election Day a public holiday, allow for same-day voter registration, establish minimum early voting periods, and allow absentee voting for any reason, restrict the removal of local election administrators in federal elections, regulate congressional redistricting, expand campaign finance disclosure rules for some organizations, and amend the Voting Rights Act to require some states to obtain clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice before implementing new election laws. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to invoke cloture and a 1/2 majority vote on passage. Click here to read more. Failed (49-51) Nay Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022   The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act was a bill passed by the 117th Congress in the form of an amendment to a year-end omnibus funding bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022. The bill changed the procedure for counting electoral votes outlined in the Electoral Count Act of 1887. Elements of the bill included specifying that the vice president's role at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes is ministerial, raising the objection threshold at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes to one-fifth of the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, identifying governors as the single official responsible for submitting the certificate of ascertainment identifying that state’s electors, and providing for expedited judicial review of certain claims about states' certificates identifying their electors. The bill required a 3/5 majority vote in the Senate to concur in the House's version of the bill. Click here to read more. Passed (68-29) Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2020 Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018 For detailed information about each vote, click here. Votes on domestic policy (click to expand) Voted Yea on: First Step Act of 2018 (S 756)  Motion Agreed to (87-12) on December 18, 2018 Proposed making changes to the criminal justice system. Voted Yea on: Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Conference Report Agreed to (87-13) on December 11, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance through fiscal year 2023. Voted Yea on: "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)  Nomination Confirmed (50-48) on October 6, 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Voted Yea on: "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)  Cloture Motion Agreed to (51-49) on October 5, 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Voted Yea on: Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Bill Passed (86-11, 3/5 majority required) on June 28, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance. Voted Yea on: Immigration reform proposal from Sen. Chuck Grassley and the Trump administration (S Amdt 1959 to HR 2579)  Cloture Motion Rejected (39-60, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for 1.8 million individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children, $25 billion for border security, limits on chain migration or family-based migration, and eliminating the visa lottery system. Voted Nay on: Immigration reform proposal from the Common Sense Coalition (S Amdt 1958 to HR 2579)  Cloture Motion Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children, $25 billion for border security, and limitations on chain or family-based immigration. Voted Yea on: Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act amendment (S Amdt 1948 to S Amdt 1959)  Cloture Motion Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed withholding funding from sanctuary jurisdictions for not cooperating with federal immigration officials. Voted Nay on: Coons-McCain immigration plan (S Amdt 1955 to S Amdt 1958)  Cloture Motion Rejected (52-47, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children and conducting a study to determine what border security measures were needed. It also proposed requiring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by 2021. Voted Yea on: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S 2311)  Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected (51-46, 3/5 majority required) on January 29, 2018 Proposed amending the federal criminal code to make it a crime for any person to perform or attempt to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus was 20 weeks or more. The bill proposed providing exceptions for an abortion: (1) that was necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. Voted Yea on: An amendment to repeal the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it—"Skinny bill" (S Amdt 667 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628 the American Health Care Act of 2017)  Amendment Rejected (49-51) on July 28, 2017 The amendment proposed repealing the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it. Voted Yea on: An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) (S Amdt 271 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)  Amendment Rejected (45-55) on July 26, 2017 An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) Voted Yea on: Motion to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, including Cruz and Portman amendments (S Amdt 270 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)  Motion Rejected (43-57, 3/5 majority required) on July 25, 2017 A procedural vote to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA), including the Cruz and Portman amendments. Voted Yea on: Motion to begin debate on the American Health Care Act of 2017 (HR 1628)  Motion to Proceed Agreed to (50-50, Vice President voted Yea) on July 25, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to title II of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2017. Voted Yea on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(4)—confirmation vote)  Nomination Confirmed (54-45) on April 7, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—confirmation vote. Voted Yea on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(3))  Cloture Motion Agreed to (55-45) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—second vote to end debate and move to a vote on Gorsuch's nomination under the new precedent requiring only a simple majority to pass. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(2))  Decision of Chair Not Sustained (48-52) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—a vote to keep the Senate precedent of requiring 60 votes to close debate on Supreme Court nominations. Voted Yea on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55)  Cloture Motion Rejected (55-45, 3/5 majority required) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—initial vote to end debate and move to a vote on Gorsuch's nomination. Votes on economic affairs and regulations (click to expand) Voted Yea on: "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)  Conference Report Agreed to (93-7) on September 18, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)  Conference Report Agreed to (92-5) on September 12, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Yea on: "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)  Bill Passed (85-7) on August 23, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)  Bill Passed (86-5) on June 25, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Nay on: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1625)  Motion Agreed to (65-32) on March 23, 2018 Proposed providing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes. Voted Nay on: The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (HR 1892)  Motion Agreed to (71-28) on February 9, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through March 23, 2018 Voted Yea on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 695)  Cloture Motion Rejected (55-44, 3/5 majority required) on February 8, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through March 23, 2018. Voted Yea on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Motion Agreed to (81-18) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Yea on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Cloture Motion Agreed to (81-18, 3/5 majority required) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Yea on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Cloture Motion Rejected (50-49, 3/5 majority required) on January 19, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Yea on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1370)  Motion Agreed to (66-32, 3/5 majority required) on December 21, 2017 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Yea on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Motion Agreed to (51-48) on December 20, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018 and proposed changes to the tax code. Voted Yea on: "A joint resolution making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes." (HJ Res 123)  Joint Resolution Passed (81-14) on December 7, 2017 Proposed funding the government until December 22, 2017. Voted Yea on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Bill Passed (51-49) on December 2, 2017 Proposed amending the Internal Revenue Code to reduce tax rates and modify policies, credits, and deductions for individuals and businesses. Voted Yea on: A concurrent resolution establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. (H Con Res 71)  Concurrent Resolution Agreed to (51-49) on October 19, 2017 Proposed establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. Voted Yea on: Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (Included amendments to suspend the debt ceiling and fund the government) (HR 601)  Motion Agreed to (80-17) on September 7, 2017 Proposed suspending the debt ceiling and funding the government until December 8, 2017, and providing funding for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief efforts. Voted Yea on: Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 (HR 244)  Motion Agreed to (79-18) on May 4, 2017 The $1.2 trillion budget bill proposed funding the government through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2017. Votes on foreign policy and national security issues (click to expand) Voted Nay on: "A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress." (SJ Res 54)  Joint Resolution Passed (56-41) on December 13, 2018 Proposed removing United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that were not authorized by Congress. Voted Yea on: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 2810)  Bill Passed (89-8) on September 18, 2017 Proposed authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, and to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. On November 15, 2017, the Senate passed the defense policy bill by voice vote. This bill was the result of compromises made in the conference report. For more information on the compromise bill, click here. Voted Yea on: Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (HR 3364)  Bill Passed (98-2) on July 27, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and proposed countering aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes. Voted Yea on: Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 (S 722)  Bill Passed (98-2) on June 15, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and proposed countering aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes. 114th Congress The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 18,117 out of 21,815 executive nominations received (83 percent). For more information pertaining to Cassidy's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections. Economic and fiscal Trade Act of 2015 See also: The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, 2015 On May 22, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," by a vote of 62-37. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). TPA, also known as fast track authority, allows the president to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended by Congress. Congress casts a simple up or down vote on a trade agreement, and the legislation only requires a simple majority for approval. The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. Cassidy voted with 47 other Republican senators to approve the bill. Trade promotion authority On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Cassidy was one of 47 Republicans to vote in favor of the bill. After, Senate Republican leadership honored a pledge to support trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by passing the measure as part of HR 1295 - Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 by voice vote. The House passed HR 1295 the following day, on June 25, 2015, and both TPA and TAA were signed into law on June 29, 2015. 2016 Budget proposal On May 5, 2015, the Senate voted to approve SConRes11, a congressional budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, by a vote of 51-48. The non-binding resolution will be used to create 12 appropriations bills to fund the government. The vote marked the first time since 2009 that Congress approved a joint budget resolution. All 44 Democrats voted against the resolution. Cassidy voted with 50 other Republican senators to approve the bill. Defense spending authorization On November 10, 2015, the Senate passed S 1356 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 91-3. The second version of the $607 billion national defense bill included "$5 billion in cuts to match what was approved in the budget" and language preventing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Cassidy voted with 47 Republicans, 42 Democrats and one independent to approve the bill. On November 5, 2015, the House passed the bill by a vote of 370-58, and President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 25, 2015. On June 18, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1735 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 71-25. The bill "authorizes FY2016 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation." Cassidy voted with 48 Republicans, 21 Democrats and one Independent to approve the bill. The House passed the bill on May 15, 2015. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill on October 22, 2015. 2015 budget On October 30, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 by a vote of 64-35. The bill increased military and domestic spending levels and suspended the debt ceiling until March 2017. Cassidy voted with 34 Republicans against the bill. It passed the House on October 28, 2015. President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 2, 2015. Foreign Affairs Iran nuclear deal See also: Iran nuclear agreement, 2015 On May 7, 2015, the Senate voted to approve HR 1191 - A bill to provide for congressional review and oversight of agreements relating to Iran's nuclear program, and for other purposes, by a vote of 98-1. The bill required President Barack Obama to submit the details of the nuclear deal with Iran for congressional review. Congress had 60 days to review the deal and vote to approve, disapprove or take no action on the deal. During the review period, sanctions on Iran could not be lifted. Cassidy voted with 52 other Republican senators to approve the bill. Senator Tom Cotton (Ark.) was the only Republican who voted against the bill. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 On September 10, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 58-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Cassidy voted with 53 other Republicans and four Democrats to proceed to the measure of disapproval. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 follow up votes On September 15, 2015, the Senate voted for a second time to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 56-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Cassidy voted with 51 Republicans and four Democrats to proceed to the measure of disapproval. The legislation was voted on for a third time on September 17, and it failed for a third time by a vote of 56-42. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 fourth vote On September 17, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster a vote on S.Amdt.2656 to S.Amdt.2640 by a vote of 53-45. The amendment proposed prohibiting "the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran." Cassidy voted with 51 Republicans and one Democrat to proceed to the amendment. Domestic USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 On June 2, 2015, the Senate passed HR 2048 - the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 by a vote of 67-32. The legislation revised HR 3199 - the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 by terminating the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, requiring increased reporting from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Cassidy voted with 22 Republicans, 43 Democrats and one Independent to approve the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015. Loretta Lynch AG nomination On April 23, 2015, the Senate voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as United States Attorney General by a vote of 56-43. All 44 Democratic senators voted to confirm Lynch. Cassidy voted with 42 other Republican senators against Lynch's confirmation. Cyber security On October 27, 2015, the Senate passed S 754 - the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 by a vote of 74-21. The bill proposed procedures that would allow federal agencies and private entities to share information about cyber threats. Cassidy voted with 42 Republicans, 30 Democrats and one independent in favor of the bill. Immigration On October 20, 2015, the Senate voted against proceeding to a vote on S 2146 - the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act by a vote of 54-45. The bill proposed withholding federal funding from "sanctuary jurisdictions" that violate the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and other federal immigration laws. In addition, the bill proposed increasing "penalties for individuals who illegally reenter the United States after being removed" and providing "liability protection for State and local law enforcement who cooperate with Federal law enforcement." Cassidy voted with 51 Republicans and two Democrats in favor of proceeding to the bill. 113th Congress The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. For more information pertaining to Cassidy's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections. National security DHS Appropriations Cassidy voted in favor of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines. Keystone Pipeline Amendment Cassidy voted against House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines. CISPA (2013) Cassidy voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities. The bill was largely supported by Republicans but divided the Democratic Party. NDAA Cassidy voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote. Economy Farm bill On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill. The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop. It also cut the food stamp program an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Cassidy voted with 161 other Republican representatives in favor of the bill. 2014 Budget On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582-page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Cassidy voted with the majority of the Republican Party in favor of the bill. Government shutdown See also: United States budget debate, 2013 On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Cassidy voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate. The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Cassidy voted against HR 2775. Immigration Morton Memos Prohibition Cassidy voted in favor of House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated in the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status. The vote largely followed party lines. Healthcare Healthcare Reform Rules Cassidy voted in favor of House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines. Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act Cassidy voted in favor of HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines. Social issues Amash amendment Cassidy voted in favor of House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote. Government affairs HR 676 See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit. Cassidy joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution. Previous congressional sessions Fiscal cliff Cassidy voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003, while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.

Issues

National security

Letter to Iran

On March 9, 2015, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote a letter to Iran's leadership, warning them that signing a nuclear deal with the Obama administration without congressional approval constituted only an executive agreement. The letter also stated that "The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time." The letter was signed by 47 Republican members of the Senate. Cassidy was one of the 47 who signed the letter. No Democrats signed it.

Members of the Obama administration and of Congress reacted to the letter. Vice President Joe Biden said of the letter, "In thirty-six years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country — much less a longtime foreign adversary — that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them."

Elections

2020

See also: United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2020

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate Louisiana

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. Senate Louisiana on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Cassidy (R)	59.3	1,228,908
		Adrian Perkins (D)	19.0	394,049
		Derrick Edwards (D)	11.1	229,814
		Antoine Pierce (D)	2.7	55,710
		Dustin Murphy (R)	1.9	38,383
		David Drew Knight (D)	1.8	36,962
		Beryl Billiot (Independent)	0.8	17,362
		John Paul Bourgeois (Independent)	0.8	16,518
		Peter Wenstrup (D)	0.7	14,454
		Aaron Sigler (L)	0.5	11,321
		M.V. Mendoza (Independent)	0.4	7,811
		Melinda Mary Price (Independent)	0.4	7,680
		Jamar Myers-Montgomery (Independent)	0.3	5,804
		Reno Jean Daret III (Independent)	0.2	3,954
		Xan John (Independent)	0.1	2,813

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,071,543
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Greg Fitch (Independent)
• Dartanyon Williams (D)

2014

See also: United States Senate elections in Louisiana, 2014

See also: United States Senate runoff election in Louisiana, 2014

Cassidy announced on April 3, 2013, that he would challenge incumbent Mary Landrieu (D) for the Senate seat in Louisiana. Cassidy and Landrieu were the top two vote-getters in the November 4 primary election. Cassidy defeated Landrieu in a general election on December 6, 2014.

Election results

Dec. 6 General election

U.S. Senate, Louisiana General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mary Landrieu Incumbent	44.1%	561,210
	Republican	Bill Cassidy	55.9%	712,379
Total Votes				1,273,589
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State

Nov. 4 Primary election

U.S. Senate, Louisiana Primary Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mary Landrieu Incumbent	42.1%	619,402
	Democratic	Wayne Ables	0.8%	11,323
	Democratic	Vallian Senegal	0.3%	3,831
	Democratic	William Waymire Jr.	0.3%	4,673
	Republican	Bill Cassidy	41%	603,084
	Republican	Rob Maness	13.8%	202,556
	Republican	Thomas Clements	1%	14,173
	Libertarian	Brannon Lee McMorris	0.9%	13,034
Total Votes				1,472,076
Source: Mary Landrieu and Bill Cassidy headed to a runoff election on December 6, 2014. Louisiana Secretary of State

Media

See also: Media involvement in the race

Some speculated that the Landrieu – Cassidy runoff election would receive significant satellite spending and national media attention because the winner of the race was expected to decide which party would gain control of the Senate. The race, however, was less competitive and contentious because Republicans secured control of the United States Senate on November 4, 2014. At least seven groups ran ads against Landrieu tying her to Obama and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) and criticizing her for her stances on gun control, abortion, the Affordable Care Act and immigration. Cassidy also ran ads promising to oppose Obama's energy policies, his "amnesty plan" and the Affordable Care Act. Landrieu's first ad, "Whoa," featured Cassidy giving a speech that the narrator called "incoherent." Landrieu also released ads that criticized Cassidy's positions on social security, raising the minimum wage and equal pay for women and accused him of cutting $86 million dollars from Louisiana's schools to pay for a tax break for millionaires. Louisiana's Democratic Central Committee also ran a radio spot for Landrieu. The narrator in the ad said, "They have shown our president so much disrespect. From playing the race card in commercials, talking about trying to impeach him, to lying about the progress the country has made under his leadership. The president needs you to have you have his back, now more than ever."

Polls

December 6 Runoff
Poll	Mary Landrieu	Bill Cassidy	Margin of Error	Sample Size
IWV/GEB International November 20, 2014	34%	60%	+/-3.4	850
JMC Analytics November 20, 2014	38%	53%	+/-3.6	734
Rasmussen Reports November 16-19, 2014	41%	56%	+/-3.0	1,000
Vox Populi November 16-17, 2014	42%	53%	+/-3.55	761
Gravis Marketing November 12-14, 2014	38%	59%	+/-4.0	643
Magellan Strategies November 12, 2014	40.5%	56.6%	+/-2.2	1,917
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Landrieu (D) v. Cassidy (R)
Poll	Mary Landrieu (D)	Bill Cassidy (R)	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Rasmussen Reports October 13-14, 2014	43%	52%	5%	+/-3	965
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner August 28-September 2, 2014	48%	46%	6%	+/-4	600
Public Policy Polling June 26-29, 2014	47%	47%	6%	+/-3.8	664
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner May 5-8, 2014	49%	49%	2%	+/-4.0	600
Harper Polling April 6-7, 2014	43%	47%	10%	+/-4.22	538
Voter/Consumer Research February 20-25, 2014	45%	44%	9%	+/-4.0	600
Hickman Analytics February 17-24, 2014	42%	46%	12%	+/-4.9	404
Public Policy Polling February 6-9, 2014	44%	45%	10%	+/-3.9	635
Rasmussen Reports January 28-29, 2014	44%	40%	16%	+/-4.5	500
Harper Polling January 19-20, 2014	44%	45%	11%	+/-3.11	992
Southern Media and Opinion Research November 6-12, 2013	41%	34%	25%	+/-4.0	600
Public Policy Polling August 16-19, 2013	50%	40%	10%	+/-3.6	721
Harper Polling/Conservative Intel August 14-15, 2013	45%	47%	8%	+/-4.01	596
OnMessage August 12-15, 2013	44%	41%	14%	+/-3.5	800
Harper Polling April 6-7, 2013	46%	41%	13%	+/-4.21	541
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

General election match-up
Poll	Mary Landrieu (D)	Bill Cassidy (R)	Rob Maness (R)	Paul Hollis (R)	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Rasmussen Reports October 13-14, 2014	41%	38%	14%	0%	5%	+/-3
CNN/ORC September 22-25, 2014	43%	40%	9%	0%	8%	+/-3	1,013
CBS/NYT/YouGov July 5-24, 2014	46%	47%	0%	0%	1%	+/-4.0	1,428
Rasmussen Reports July 8-9, 2014	43%	46%	0%	0%	6%	+/-4.0	750
Public Policy Polling June 26-29, 2014	44%	27%	8%	5%	17%	+/-3.8	664
Magellan Strategies June 5-8, 2014	44%	50%	0%	0%	1%	+/-3.65	719
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner May 5-8, 2014	48%	29%	7%	8%	8%	+/-4.0	600
Southern Media Opinion Research April 28-30, 2014	36%	35.4%	7.1%	3.9%	16.6%	+/-4.0	600
Kaiser Foundation April 8-15, 2014	42%	18%	4%	5%	20%	+/-4.0	1,075
Harper Polling April 6-7, 2014	40%	35%	4%	3%	18%	+/-4.22	538
Magellan Strategies March 24-26, 2014	39.3%	26.3%	2.6%	3.4%	28.4%	+/-4.1	600
Hickman Analytics February 17-24, 2014	42%	46%	0%	0%	12%	+/-4.9	404
Public Policy Polling February 6-9, 2014	43%	25%	3%	5%	25%	+/-3.9	635
Harper Polling January 19-20, 2014	42%	29%	4%	4%	20%	+/-3.11	992
Southern Media Opinion Research November 6-12, 2013	41%	34%	10%	0%	15.5%	+/-4.0	600
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Landrieu (D) v. Guillory (R)
Poll	Mary Landrieu (D)	Elbert Guillory (R)	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Public Policy Polling August 16-19, 2013	50%	36%	14%	+/-3.6	721
Harper Polling/Conservative Intel August 14-15, 2013	44%	44%	11%	+/-4.01	596
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Landrieu (D) v. Maness (R)
Poll	Mary Landrieu (D)	Rob Maness (R)	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Public Policy Polling February 6-9, 2014	47%	42%	10%	+/-3.9	635
Southern Media and Opinion Research November 6-12, 2013	41%	10%	49%	+/-4.0	600
Public Policy Polling August 16-19, 2013	50%	37%	13%	+/-3.6	721
Harper Polling/Conservative Intel August 14-15, 2013	47%	41%	12%	+/-4.01	596
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Landrieu (D) v. Hollis (R)
Poll	Mary Landrieu (D)	Paul Hollis (R)	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Public Policy Polling February 6-9, 2014	48%	42%	10%	+/-3.9	635
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

2012

See also: Louisiana's 6th Congressional District elections, 2012

Cassidy ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Louisiana's 6th District. Cassidy, the incumbent, defeated Rufus Holt Craig Jr. (L) and Richard Torregano (I) in the November 6 blanket primary. Louisiana did not hold a primary before the November 6 general election.

U.S. House, Louisiana District 6 Primary Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bill Cassidy Incumbent	79.4%	243,553
	Libertarian	Rufus Holt Craig,Jr	10.5%	32,185
	None	Richard Torregano	10.1%	30,975
Total Votes				306,713
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Bill Cassidy, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Bill Cassidy won re-election to the United States House, defeating Merritt E. McDonald Sr. (D). U.S. House, Louisiana District 6 Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Bill Cassidy 65.6% 138,607      Democratic Merritt E. McDonald Sr. 34.4% 72,577 Total Votes 211,184 2008 On November 4, 2008, Bill Cassidy won election to the United States House. He defeated Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr (D) and Michael Jackson (I). U.S. House, Louisiana District 6 Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Bill Cassidy 48.1% 150,332      Democratic Donald J. Cazayoux 40.3% 125,886      Independent Michael Jackson 11.6% 36,198 Total Votes 312,416

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bill Cassidy did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2012

The following issues were highlighted on Cassidy's campaign website:

Jobs & Economy- "Limited government, free enterprise, and personal responsibility are the core principles that make America prosper." Taxes & Spending- "With a 100% rating from the Club for Growth, Bill Cassidy is a fiscal conservative who believes the American people are overtaxed and the federal government spends far too much of their hard-earned money." Cap & Trade- "Bill Cassidy is a leader in the fight to protect and promote traditional family values in Congress." Louisiana Values- "Bill Cassidy believes domestic energy production should be encouraged, not punished. He co-authored the American Energy Act to create jobs and grow the economy by removing barriers to domestic energy production, cutting burdensome regulations, and expanding America's refining capacity." Healthcare- "Bill Cassidy opposed the Democrats' government-takeover of health care because it would cut hundreds of billions from Medicare, raise taxes, and fail to lower health costs. Instead, he supports the Empowering Patients First Act, which would lower costs by giving patients direct control over health care dollars and decisions."

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage and endorsements scopes.

Notable candidate endorsements by Bill Cassidy

Endorsee	Election	Stage	Outcome
Jeff Landry  source  (R)	Governor of Louisiana (2023)	Primary	Won Primary

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Bill Cassidy campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2020	U.S. Senate Louisiana	Won primary	$11,472,971	$10,727,747
2014	U.S. Senate (Louisiana)	Won	$15,548,343	N/A**
2012	U.S. House (Louisiana, District 6)	Won	$1,797,931	N/A**
2010	U.S. House (Louisiana, District 6)	Won	$1,584,256	N/A**
2008	U.S. House (Louisiana, District 6)	Won	$1,263,731	N/A**
Grand total			$31,667,232	$10,727,747
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only availabale data.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Cassidy's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $777,060 and $2,407,000. That averages to $, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Cassidy ranked as the 171st most wealthy representative in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Cassidy's calculated net worth decreased by an average of 4 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Bill Cassidy Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2007	$2,031,297
2012	$1,592,030
Growth from 2007 to 2012:	−22%
Average annual growth:	−4%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Cassidy received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Health Professionals industry.

From 2007-2014, 25.14 percent of Cassidy's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Bill Cassidy Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$13,274,250
Total Spent	$5,633,883
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Health Professionals	$1,387,385
Oil & Gas	$632,370
Retired	$502,119
Leadership PACs	$428,508
General Contractors	$387,250
% total in top industry	10.45%
% total in top two industries	15.22%
% total in top five industries	25.14%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Cassidy was a "rank-and-file Republican," as of November 2014. This was the same rating Cassidy received in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Cassidy most often voted with:

• Steve Womack
• Jim Matheson

Cassidy least often voted with:

• Walter Jones
• Jan Schakowsky

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Bill Cassidy missed 4 of 269 roll call votes from January 2015 to September 2015. This amounts to 1.5 percent, which is better than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Cassidy paid his congressional staff a total of $811,797 in 2011. He ranked 57th on the list of the lowest paid Republican representative staff salaries and ranked 64th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Louisiana ranked 37th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year.

2013

Cassidy ranked 49th in the conservative rankings in 2013.

2012

Cassidy ranked 94th in the conservative ratings in 2012.

2011

Cassidy ranked 150th in the conservative ratings in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Cassidy voted with the Republican Party 95.0 percent of the time, which ranked 79th among the 233 House Republican members as of November 2014.

2013

Cassidy voted with the Republican Party 98.4 percent of the time, which ranked 18th among the 233 House Republican members as of June 2013.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Cassidy and his wife, Laura, live in Baton Rouge, LA. They have three children.

Noteworthy events

Coronavirus pandemic
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Tested positive for coronavirus on August 20, 2020

See also: Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021

On August 20, 2020, Cassidy announced that he tested positive for coronavirus.

See also

2020 Elections

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Candidate

U.S. Senate Louisiana

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Officeholder

U.S. Senate Louisiana

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Mary Landrieu (D)	U.S. Senate Louisiana 2015-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	U.S. House Louisiana District 6 2009-2015	Succeeded by Garret Graves (R)
Preceded by -	Louisiana State Senate 2006-2008	Succeeded by -

[show]

Louisiana's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Bill Cassidy (R)

John Kennedy (R)

Representatives

District 1

Steve Scalise (R)

District 2

Troy Carter (D)

District 3

Clay Higgins (R)

District 4

Mike Johnson (R)

District 5

Julia Letlow (R)

District 6

Garret Graves (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (1)