John Kennedy (R) easily beat Foster Campbell (D) in the runoff to succeed retiring Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
“Kennedy will join an emboldened Republican Party in Washington. The GOP kept its majority in the House and control of the Senate — Kennedy’s addition increased that lead to 52-48. Trump, Vice President-elect Mike Pence and GOP congressional leaders have vowed to pursue an aggressive agenda on Day One.”
A new Tulane University poll in Louisiana finds state Treasurer John Kennedy (R) leading Foster Campbell (D) by a wide margin heading into this weekend’s runoff election, 60% to 40%.
“I want to be very clear that my campaign played absolutely no role in creating this story alleging Congressman Boustany’s sexual relationships with prostitutes that were later murdered, his staff’s alleged involvement in running the bar and hotel where this illicit behavior took place, or publishing the book.”
— Louisiana U.S. Senate candidate John Kennedy (R), quoted by the Washington Post, about one of his rivals.
Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy said he won’t back off asking about allegations that his opponent in the U.S. Senate race was allegedly involved with prostitutes, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
Said Kennedy: “The most prestigious publisher in the world has alleged that he was serviced by not one, not two, not three but four prostitutes and has cheated on his wife. He says it’s a lie. I didn’t write that. Simon and Schuster did. He needs to sue them if it’s not true.”
The wife of Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) is defending him against prostitution allegations raised in a new book, describing “false attacks” that she says are aimed at disrupting his bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana, the AP reports.
In an email sent to supporters, Bridget Boustany suggests her husband’s opponents are spreading the information, which she called “lies.”
A new robocall from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke:
“We’re losing our country. Look at the Super Bowl salute to the Black Panther cop killers. It’s time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me, David Duke for the U.S. Senate.”
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports the Republican Party of Louisiana “deferred voting on new rules Saturday that would make it more difficult for David Duke and other convicted felons to run as Republicans in elections held after November.”
“Donald Trump’s campaign is dismissing questions about the white supremacist David Duke, after the former Ku Klux Klan leader said on his radio program that the Republican presidential nominee left open the possibility of supporting his Senate campaign,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Duke said on Monday that Mr. Trump did ‘as much as he could’ in a weekend interview to suggest that he could back Mr. Duke, the white nationalist, who is seeking a Louisiana Senate seat.”
“Former Ku Klux Klan wizard David Duke planned to emerge from a 17-year political hiatus to qualify for the U.S. Senate race in a state already roiling with racial tension,” USA Today reports.
“Duke, a Republican who served one term in the Louisiana House, hasn’t run for office since 1999. He is running to fill the seat that will be vacated by Republican Sen. David Vitter.”
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) “said he hasn’t ruled out a future run for president, but he has no desire to run for the U.S. Senate seat that’s opening next year with Republican David Vitter’s retirement from the chamber,” the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
John Bel Edwards (D) defeated Sen. David Vitter (R) in the race for Louisiana governor, the New Orleans Times Picayune reports.
Baton Rouge Advocate: “Voters’ rejection of Vitter was a stunning turn of events for the U.S. senator, who has been a political powerhouse in the state for years and started his campaign nearly two years ago as the race’s front-runner.”
Vitter surprised supporters with an announcement that he would not run for re-election to the Senate next year: “I’ve reached my personal term limit.”
If Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) loses the race for Louisiana governor next week, “there is buzz among Republicans in Louisiana and Washington that he would not run for reelection to the Senate in 2016,” the Washington Post reports.
“A loss in the gubernatorial contest would open him up to a serious GOP challenger, and it would be much harder to hit up the donors who have spent this year funding his campaign. Vitter only had $26,216 in his federal campaign account at the end of September.”
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) “told supporters at a June fundraiser that he plans to run for the Senate in 2016 if Sen. David Vitter’s 2015 gubernatorial run is successful, a donor told National Journal, and Boustany has hired an experienced Senate campaign manager to helm his political operation.”
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) “pretty much dismissed any notion that she would run again for governor, the Senate or any other public office,” Politico reports.
Said Landrieu: “Oh Lord, no. Well, let me say, I’m not going to say a definite ‘no’ about any of those two. I’ve been trained to never say no. But it is highly, highly unlikely.”
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) is “very interested” in running for Senate in 2016 if Sen. David Vitter (R) is elected Louisiana governor next year, Roll Call reports.
“Louisiana only wrapped up the 2014 Senate race a few days ago, but soon state operatives may start thinking about another race. Vitter has already announced an exploratory committee to run for governor in 2015. If Vitter wins, Fleming said, he wants to succeed him in the Senate.”
Bill Cassidy (R) soundly defeated Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) in the U.S. Senate runoff in Louisiana, 54% to 42%, the New Orleans Times Picayune reports.
“Cassidy rode a wave of Republican support that swept the nation during the midterm elections. Voters in Louisiana were angry with President Obama and his policies, particularly the Affordable Care Act. Cassidy used Landrieu’s vote for the law against her to motive people to oust her from office.”
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) slipped and told a radio host that she did not vote for President Obama, The Hill reports.
Said Landrieu: “I voted for the Affordable Care Act, I did not vote for Obama.”
Harry Enten: “William Thompson of Kansas and Wesley Jones of Washington are former U.S. senators — you get a pass for not recognizing them, they’ve been dead for more than 80 years. But if you’ll be watching Saturday’s Senate runoff between Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and Republican Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, remember their names. These senators sustained the greatest margin of defeat for an elected incumbent (not running on a third-party ticket after a primary defeat) since the direct election of senators began in the early 1900s. Thompson lost by 30 percentage points in 1918, and Jones by 28 points in 1932.”
“Landrieu probably won’t overtake Thompson and Jones, but she could be headed toward a top 10 historic defeat. The FiveThirtyEight model projects her losing the runoff 99.8 percent of the time, and by a 57.8 percent to 42.2 percent margin.”
Jeff Zeleny: “The Republican midterm election march has one more act, with the Louisiana Senate runoff on Saturday. To say that Democrats have thrown in the towel would be an understatement. The Iraqi Army fled Mosul slower than Democrats abandoned Mary Landrieu in the wake of the November thumping in Senate races across the country. If Bill Cassidy wins this weekend, Republicans will hold a 54-seat majority in the Senate, which is more muscular than Mitch McConnell had dreamed only months ago. It’s not the 60 votes needed to fully run the table, but there are six moderate and independents to help reach that threshold on some popular red-state issues.”
Meanwhile, David Wasserman attempts to quantify the most and least impressive campaigns of 2014.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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