Louisiana attorney general election, 2011

2012 → ← 2010

2011 State Executive Elections

Jump to:

Kentucky Gov./Lt. Gov. • SoS • AG Down Ballot Offices Louisiana Gov. • Lt. Gov • SoS • AG Down Ballot Offices Mississippi Gov. • Lt. Gov • SoS • AG Down Ballot Offices West Virginia Gov.

The Louisiana Attorney General election of 2011 was decided even before the October 22, 2011 primary election. Incumbent Republican Buddy Caldwell was unopposed in the race after his sole challenger, former U.S. Representative Joseph Cao withdrew from the race in late September 2011. The Louisiana general election was held on Saturday, November 19, 2011 but the office of attorney general did not appear on the ballot. Polling hours on all election days are from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, local time.

Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

October 22, 2011 primaries

See also: Louisiana state executive official elections, 2011

Democratic primary

Candidates

• N/A

Republican primary

Candidates

• Incumbent James D. "Buddy" Caldwell, who made waves in February 2011 by switching parties from Democrat to Republican, ran for re-election. Following the departure of his only opponent in September 2011, Caldwell won re-election unopposed in the October 22 open primary.

Drop-outs

• Former Louisiana U.S. Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao announced on April 12, 2011 that he would challenge incumbent Buddy Caldwell. He pulled out of the race on September 19, having failed to build a significant donor base and dogged by questions about his conservative credentials.

Endorsements

Buddy Caldwell

• Louisiana Sheriffs' Association.
• Tea Party of Louisiana.
• Former U.S. Sen. David Vitter.

Campaign finance

Buddy Caldwell

As of September 3, 2011, the breakdown of Caldwell's campaign finances stood as follows:

Buddy Caldwell Campaign Finance Reports -- Primary Election
Report		Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Total		---	---	$804,990.82	$378,557.79	---
90-Day Pre-Primary		7/25/2011	$473,312.09	$51,398.35	$44,063.32	$479,698.77
180-Day Pre-Primary		4/25/2011	$466,854.18	$92,425.61	$84,542.09	$473,312.09
2010		2/15/2011	$195,874.99	$400,472.07	$125,232.51	$466,854.18
2009		2/15/2010	$60,848.67	$260,694.79	$124,719.87	$195,847.99

Joseph Cao

As of September 3, 2011, the breakdown of Cao campaign finances stood as follows:

Joseph Cao Campaign Finance Reports -- Primary Election
Report		Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Contributions	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
Total		---	---	$120,100.20	$15,242.32	---
90-Day Pre-Primary		7/26/2011	$0.00	$120,100.20	$15,242.32	$104,857.88

External links

• Louisiana Secretary of State, Candidate Database
• Buddy Caldwell for Attorney General
• Joseph Cao for Attorney General