In the Louisiana Senate Republican primary runoff, Donald Trump’s endorsement of Julia Letlow gave her an early advantage, and she easily defeated opponent John Fleming on Saturday. Fleming had claimed that after being blocked from reaching Trump by allies of Governor Jeff Landry, he finally got the president on the phone. According to the Fleming campaign, Trump then told him he was “fantastic” and asked why he hadn’t called earlier, a story the article notes may be true but did not affect the race’s outcome. Letlow’s victory was driven by massive outside spending against Fleming, Landry’s political machine suppressing Fleming’s support, and strategic errors by Fleming’s own campaign. The runoff result was widely expected, and Letlow will face Democrat Jamie Davis in November, though Louisiana hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008.