With so many candidates running for the U.S. Senate in Louisiana—two dozen total—both of the state’s mainline parties are steering clear of the race, says Jeremy Alford in his latest column.
“The national parties aren’t interested in the race, either, especially given the unpredictability of our state’s jungle primary system,” Alford writes. “Plus, there will be very little political love handed down from the top of the ballot—the campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will certainly have a presence in Louisiana on Nov. 8, but those efforts won’t be stout enough for the Senate candidates to piggyback on for a better turnout on Election Day.”
The serious contenders in the U.S. Senate race are on their own during the final leg of the primary election, but not for long, Alford says.
“All the candidates have to do is survive a couple more weeks,” he says. “If Election Day gives us a traditional Republican-versus-Democrat runoff, then the state and national parties will pick a sweetheart quicker than you can blink.”
Other players will get involved too if Louisiana’s December runoff becomes the contest that decides the partisan makeup of the U.S. Senate, he says, noting that spending on political ads in Louisiana will increase if this happens.
“For now, however, the candidates are flying solo,” writes Alford. “As a result, turnout efforts in the Senate race are going to look dramatically different this fall compared to previous cycles. There won’t be coordinated efforts from the parties to benefit two select contenders. Instead, the campaigns will have to smartly expend resources—and they have to pray that independent groups, like super PACs, are preparing to help out on Election Day.”
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
