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DENHAM SPRINGS (AP) -- A top national Republican leader was in Louisiana on Wednesday to support GOP congressional candidate Bill Cassidy, as the party pushes to retake a seat that went Democratic this year for the first time in decades.

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of the House Republicans' campaign committee, joined a public meeting of Livingston Parish voters to discuss issues including health care and infrastructure projects. Cole also praised Cassidy, a state senator, as politically courageous for supporting the final version of the $700 billion financial bailout plan passed this month by the House.

"This is a very important race, and it's one we think we can win," Cole said in an interview after the meeting.

The Cazayoux campaign attacked Cole and Cassidy for their support of the bailout, which the Democrat opposed. It also renewed an attack on Cassidy for supporting privatization of Social Security -- a charge Cassidy denies.

"It's not surprising that Rep. Cole would come to Louisiana to campaign for Bill Cassidy," Cazayoux spokesman Lewis Lowe said in a news release. "They both support a risky scheme to privatize Social Security and a flawed bill to bail out Wall Street with $700 billion of taxpayer money."

No pollster has released independent polls indicating who's ahead, with less than three weeks left before the Nov. 4 election. Both parties think they can win, but a wild card in the race makes it tough to call: independent state Rep. Michael Jackson of Baton Rouge, the only black candidate in the race, who could draw key support away from Cazayoux on a ballot that will include presidential candidate Barack Obama.

But Jackson has had negligible financial help compared to his rivals, according to his campaign finance reports. Jackson's report says he raised just $12,550 during the past six weeks, a tiny fraction of what Cassidy and Cazayoux have raised. Jackson's campaign has $20,216 in the bank, according to the form filed with the Federal Elections Commission.

Cassidy's bank account has far more than Cazayoux's, according to his report. Cassidy has just more than $475,000, after benefiting from a Baton Rouge fundraiser featuring Vice President Dick Cheney last week. He has another next week in New Orleans with former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The Cazayoux report showed the Democrat had about $124,000. Cazayoux has received tens of thousands from fellow House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Cole's visit alone won't trigger much support for Cassidy: no more than 20 voters showed up at the meeting at a Denham Springs hotel, and Cole's name isn't well-known in the 6th Congressional District, which covers Baton Rouge and its nine surrounding parishes.

But the visit indicated how eager Republicans are to retake the seat, which until this year had been in GOP hands for 20 years. Incumbent Richard Baker resigned earlier this year, and Cazayoux beat Republican Woody Jenkins in a special election for the seat.

The 6th District covers all or part of Ascension, East and West Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, Pointe Coupee, Iberville, and East and West Feliciana parishes.

Cole's stop in Denham Springs was one of four in a trip to support GOP candidates, with other appearances in Kentucky, Florida and Mississippi, he said.