Bloomberg is reporting there’s more evidence that Republicans have the edge in Saturday’s Louisiana U.S. Senate runoff: Republican Bill Cassidy is getting campaign contributions from groups that either previously donated to Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu or heretofore sat out the election.
Noting that political action committees—the campaign funds of corporations and trade organizations—like to bet on winners, Bloomberg reports polling, TV advertising and the racial and partisan composition of voters casting early ballots in the Dec. 6 election all favor Cassidy.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s PAC sent $5,000 to Cassidy’s campaign on Nov. 21 after giving $1,000 to Landrieu in May, Federal Election Commission filings show. The PAC donated twice in early 2013 to Cassidy before he announced he was running for the Senate.
Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp.’s PAC sent $5,000 to Cassidy on Nov. 21 after donating to both Cassidy and Landrieu in March 2013, just before Cassidy announced he would seek to unseat Landrieu. Devon is a member of the Denver-based Western Energy Alliance, whose PAC sent $2,500 to Landrieu last November and a matching $2,500 donation to Cassidy on Nov. 19.
Closer to home, the Baton Rouge-based PAC of the Adams & Reese law firm sent $5,000 to Cassidy’s Senate campaign on Nov. 21, a match of the $5,000 it sent in March to Landrieu’s leadership PAC, Jazz PAC.
Some PACs donated to Cassidy this month after eschewing donations to both him and Landrieu for the entirety of the Louisiana Senate race, according to FEC data and the Center for Responsive Politics. They include the PACs of American Airlines; Caterpillar Inc., the Peoria, Illinois-based maker of construction equipment; and Bloomin’ Brands, the Tampa, Florida-based parent of Outback Steakhouse. Read the full story.
