Louisiana to Vote on Final US Senate Seat Today
Should he win, Republican John Kennedy would fill a crucial seat in the Senate.
— -- Voters in Louisiana will decide the final federal political contest of 2016 today, more than a month after Republicans secured control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.
Republicans currently hold 51 seats in the U.S. Senate and, should he win, Republican candidate John Kennedy would fill a crucial 52nd seat for close votes on controversial issues where every Republican member may not toe the party line.
So far, Kennedy has enjoyed a double-digit lead in the polls. President-elect Donald Trump won the state handily in November and on Friday held a rally in the state backing Kennedy.
Louisiana votes in December because all contenders competed in a bipartisan primary first on Election Day and then the top two candidates advance to a separate runoff election. Kennedy received 25 percent of the vote to Campbell’s 18 percent in the open primary on Election Day.
Kennedy has been the state’s treasurer since 2000 and has run twice unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate -- once in 2004 as a Democrat and again in 2008 as a Republican.
Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Foster Campbell is a longtime member of the Louisiana State Senate and the state’s Public Service Commission. He lost a bid for governor in 2007.
Campbell has enjoyed a boost in donations and support from volunteers phone-banking around the country, as Democrats look to his campaign as the last hope for narrowing Republicans’ margin in the chamber. According to Campbell’s federal campaign finance records, he raised significantly more money in the final stretch of the campaign than his competitor -- $2.5 million in the month.
The exact makeup of the Senate may still be in flux after Saturday, however. Trump tapped Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as his first pick for attorney general and Trump is considering two moderate Democratic Senators -- Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota -- to fill other Cabinet positions.
Two U.S. House seats are also up for grabs in Louisiana on Saturday, though Republicans already hold a tight grip on the lower chamber in Congress.