Poll: Dardenne leads Sen. Landrieu’s hypothetical GOP challengers

A new poll released today by North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling says Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is favored by Louisiana voters in hypothetical races against seven potential Republican challengers for her Senate seat in 2014. Of the seven, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne comes closest, trailing in the hypothetical race 46% to 43%. Reps. Charles Boustany and Bill Cassidy were the next-best finishers, with Boustany trailing 48% to 42% and Cassidy trailing 50% to 40%. However, the poll also shows 57% of respondents have no opinion on Cassidy—suggesting they’re unfamiliar with him—whereas 92% have their minds made up on Landrieu’s job performance. “Most of the Republicans have low name recognition, so it will get closer,” says PPP President Dean Debnam. “But Mary Landrieu’s near 50% and in a much stronger position for re-election probably than most people would have expected.” Gov. Bobby Jindal trails Landrieu in a hypothetical race, 49% to 41%. Jindal’s popularity among Louisianans has plummeted since PPP last polled voters in 2010—when 58% of voters approved of the job the governor was doing, compared to 34% who disapproved. That made Jindal “one of the most popular governors in the country,” according to PPP. In the new poll, however, just 37% of participants say they like the job Jindal is doing, compared to 57% who disapprove. The PPP poll included 603 Louisiana voters; it was conducted Feb. 8-12 and was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. The margin of error is 4%. The complete results can be found here.