Bill Cassidy poll shows incumbent leading Louisiana Senate race, Letlow

• A new poll commissioned by Sen. Bill Cassidy shows him leading the Louisiana Republican primary race.
• The poll indicates Cassidy would also lead Congresswoman Julia Letlow in a hypothetical head-to-head runoff.
• Cassidy's campaign has spent millions on attack ads, while Letlow's campaign has highlighted Cassidy's vote to convict former President Trump.
• Previous polls from other campaigns have shown different candidates leading the tight race.

A new poll commissioned by Sen. Bill Cassidy shows him leading the field in the Louisiana Republican primary race and in a hypothetical head-to-head runoff against Congresswoman Julia Letlow.

Cassidy paid for the Public Opinion Strategies poll, which the campaign said was conducted from March 7-10.

The survey shows Cassidy with 35%, Letlow with 24%, state Treasurer John Fleming with 21% and 18% undecided in the May 16 party primary election.

It shows Cassidy leading Letlow 45% to 43% in a head-to-head runoff, reversing Letlow's January lead of 46% to 40% in a previous Cassidy campaign poll.

Cassidy and super PACs supporting his campaign have spend millions on attacks ads with a "Liberal Letlow" theme that they say have been effective in suppressing her support.

Letlow's campaign ads and social media posts have consistently reminded voters that Cassidy voted to convict President Trump during his 2021 impeachment trial, which is the vote that put Cassidy at risk despite being the incumbent.

Trump has endorsed Letlow in the race.

The Cassidy campaign poll also shows Fleming, who it describes as "underfunded," gaining ground from the January poll, when Fleming was at 16%.

A February poll commissioned by Fleming showed Fleming leading the race with 26% followed by Letlow with 25% and Cassidy trailing the field at 22%.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.