When I raised the conventional wisdom that Trump would be expected to win the nomination, Cassidy jumped in.“

I don’t know that,” the senator said during our interview in Chalmette, La.

The big picture: “Trump is the first president in the Republican side at least to lose the House, the Senate and the presidency in four years. Elections are about winning,” Cassidy said.

On the possibility of Trump losing the nomination, Cassidy said: “Well, if you want to win the presidency — and hopefully that’s what voters are thinking about — I think he might.”