By james art 
WASHINGTON, DC – A partisan battle is brewing among Louisiana Republicans ahead of the 2026 U.S. Senate race. The first fight is over tickets to the Washington Mardi Gras Ball.
State Rep. Roger Wilder, R-Denham Springs, says his prom tickets were canceled after he personally expressed support for state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-Lafayette, who is considering challenging U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy in the 2026 election .
Wilder said he had already arrived in D.C. for the event when he received an email from a member of Cassidy’s congressional staff informing him that he would be getting a refund for his tickets.
“I think it’s petty,” Wilder said in an interview. “This is supposed to be an event that celebrates Louisiana, and now we have a distraction.”
In an interview at the Washington Hilton, where the annual week-long political battle is being held, Cassidy denied canceling the tickets. As one of Louisiana’s senators, Cassidy was directly involved in planning Mardi Gras celebrations in Washington. The Mystick Krewe of Louisianians, which organizes the event, is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Cassidy, a moderate Republican, drew the ire of conservatives in his party after he voted to impeach President Donald Trump in the 2021 impeachment trial. because of his participation in the January 6 uprising attempt. He faces a primary challenge from state Treasurer John Fleming, and Miguez said he is seriously considering entering the race.
“[Wilder] will be the first with premium seats [at the ball] in 2027,” Miguez said when asked about the ticket dispute, implying that he will replace Cassidy and thus be involved in planning the Washington Mardi Gras.
Despite backlash from the party’s ultraconservative wing, Cassidy posted strong fundraising numbers ahead of the race. Campaign finance filings show it by more than $6 million in hand.
The difference in the 2026 election. is the introduction of closed primaries.
Gov. Jeff Landry has backed legislation in 2024. to close Louisiana’s relatively unusual “jungle” open primary, in which all candidates face each other in the primary and the top two vote-getters—assuming no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote—pass to a runoff next month.
Louisiana’s new closed primary elections are for seats in Congress and on the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Civil Service Commission and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. They will be held in March of each election year, with the majority vote from each party going into the fall election. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in March, a second party primary is held with the top two candidates.
In states with closed primaries, voters tend to be more polarized than in general elections, meaning a conservative challenger could have a better chance of unseating his more moderate intra-party challenger.
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