Louisiana Senate

Candidates

Mary Landrieu*

Mary Landrieu* (D)

Bio | Campaign Site

John Kennedy

John Kennedy (R)

Bio | Campaign Site

Louisiana Snapshot

RCP Senate Ranking: Leans Dem

Senate Race:
Presidential Race:

Competitive House Races: LA-4
| LA-6

2004 Senate: Kennedy (D) vs. Vitter (R)

Polling Data

PollDateSampleLandrieu (D)Kennedy (R)Spread
SE Louisiana10/20 - 10/23503 RV5334Landrieu +19
Rasmussen10/21 - 10/21500 LV5343Landrieu +10
Rasmussen9/27 - 9/27500 LV5441Landrieu +13
Rasmussen8/17 - 8/17500 LV5639Landrieu +17
Rasmussen7/9 - 7/9500 LV4944Landrieu +5
Southern Media & Opinion Research6/26 - 6/28600 LV4640Landrieu +6
Rasmussen5/28 - 5/28500 LV4744Landrieu +3
Mellman Group (D)*5/17 - 5/20600 LV4933Landrieu +16
Rasmussen4/9 - 4/9500 LV5539Landrieu +16
Southern Media & Opinion Research3/26 - 4/9600 LV5038Landrieu +12
SurveyUSA12/6 - 12/10651 RV4642Landrieu +4
Zogby10/10 - 10/141001 LV3845Kennedy +7

Race Summary

Mary Landrieu is the GOP's top target, and the Republican challenging her almost became her Democratic Senate colleague four years ago.

Republicans secured their candidate in August 2007, when  state Treasurer John Kennedy announced he was switching from the Democratic to the Republican Party, a clear sign he was planning to run. Kennedy previously ran for the Senate in 2004, running as a Democrat and finishing third behind the winner, Republican David Vitter, and fellow Democrat Chris John.

Landrieu's vulnerability stems from a number of things: despite the large voter registration advantage Democrats hold, Landrieu has never won more than 52%; and a chunk of the Democratic electorate left the state following Hurricane Katrina.

Although Landrieu should still be slightly favored to retain her seat, the GOP will likely expend a lot of money here, as Louisiana is its best chance at stealing a Senate seat.

Previous Elections

Senate
2004: Vitter (R) 51, John (D) 29, Kennedy (D) 15
2002: Landrieu (D) 52, Terrell (R) 48
1998: Breaux (D) 64, Donelson (R) 22
1996: Landrieu (D) 50, Jenkins (R) 50

President
2004: Bush 57, Kerry 42
2000: Bush 53, Gore 45
1996: Clinton 53, Dole 40

Demographics

Population (2007 est.): 4,293,204
Registered Voters:
Dem 52.7% | Rep 24.9% | Other 22.5%  
Occupation: Blue Collar 25.8% | White Collar 56.6% | Gray Collar 17.5%
Race: White 62.5% | Black 32.3% | Hispanic 2.4% | Asian 1.2%