Louisiana Voters Head Back to the Polls Saturday

Three congressional races will be decided in Louisiana this Saturday. Voters head back to the polls because the state employs the jungle primary system. On Nov. 4, all candidates appeared on the same primary ballot regardless of political party affiliation. Since no candidate in three races received an outright majority of the vote, no one was elected. As a result, the top two finishers in each race now advance to a final run-off election. In the U.S. Senate race, Rep. Bill Cassidy (R) is expected to defeat three-term Sen. Mary Landrieu (D). A recent poll had the Congressman leading by double-digits, 53-38 percent. With both political parties ending their media advertising and the intangibles cutting against Ms. Landrieu since the run-off began, it appears that Mr. Cassidy is headed for victory. Should he be successful, the new Senate will divide 54 Republicans to 46 Democrats. The 5th District finds a battle between Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo (D) and physician Ralph Abraham (R), a first-time candidate. They both out-paced scandal-plagued Rep. Vance McAllister (R), who finished a poor fourth. Given the districts Republican leaning, an Abraham win is expected. Down in the 6th District, former chairman of Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Garret Graves (R) has opened up a huge 61-35 percent advantage over former four-term Governor and Congressman Edwin Edwards (D). The latter also served eight years in federal prison on bribery and racketeering charges. The district is heavily Republican, so Graves is expected to defeat the former governor. Should these two races go to Republicans as expected, the new House breakdown will be 246 Republicans to 188 Democrats. It would give the GOP its largest majority since World War II. For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at (202) 547-5013 or ashinoffd@agc.org.