United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2016

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2016 U.S. Senate Election in Louisiana
Runoff Date
December 10, 2016
Primary Date
November 8, 2016
December 10 Runoff Winner:
John Kennedy Republican Party
Incumbent prior to election:
David Vitter Republican Party
David Vitter.jpg
Race Ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid R[1]
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely R[2]
Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3]
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2016 U.S. House Elections
Flag of Louisiana.png
Voters in Louisiana elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on December 10, 2016.

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Louisiana's U.S. Senate race as safely Republican. The seat was open following incumbent David Vitter's decision to retire. A total of 24 candidates filed to run and competed in the general election on November 8, 2016. John Kennedy (R) and Foster Campbell (D) took the top two spots in the election, advancing to the runoff on December 10, 2016. Kennedy subsequently defeated Campbell in the runoff.[4]

Candidate Filing Deadline General Election Runoff Election
July 22, 2016
November 8, 2016
December 10, 2016

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Louisiana, all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, run in the general election. If a candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote in the general election, he or she wins outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters. Although Louisiana's election system is sometimes classified as a top-two, jungle or blanket primary system, those terms are not entirely accurate.[5][6]


Incumbent: The election filled the Class 3 Senate seat held by David Vitter (R). Vitter ran for Governor of Louisiana in 2015 but was defeated in the general election.[7] Following incumbent Vitter's loss in the gubernatorial race, he announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2016.[8]

Election results

Runoff election

U.S. Senate, Louisiana Runoff Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Kennedy 60.7% 536,191
     Democratic Foster Campbell 39.3% 347,816
Total Votes 884,007
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State

General election

Candidates

General election candidates:

Republican Party John Kennedy Approveda
Democratic Party Foster Campbell

Primary candidates:

Democratic Party Caroline Fayard - Lawyer[9]
Democratic Party Foster Campbell - Public service commissioner[10] Approveda
Democratic Party Josh Pellerin - Businessman[11]
Democratic Party Peter Williams[12]
Democratic Party Derrick Edwards[13] - Lawyer and disability advocate
Democratic Party Kaitlin Marone - Comedian[14]
Democratic Party Gary Landrieu[4]
Democratic Party Vinny Mendoza[4]
Republican Party John Fleming - U.S. Rep.[15]
Republican Party Charles Boustany Jr. - U.S. Rep.[15]
Republican Party Rob Maness - Retired colonel[16]
Republican Party Joseph Cao - Former congressman[17]
Republican Party John Kennedy - State treasurer[18] Approveda
Republican Party David Duke - Former KKK leader[19]
Republican Party Donald Crawford[4]
Republican Party Charles Marsala
Libertarian Party
Thomas Clements (Libertarian)[20]
Libertarian Party
Le Roy Gillam (Libertarian)[4]
Independent Troy Hebert (Independent) - Former state sen.[21]
Independent Beryl Billiot (Independent)[4]
Independent Arden Wells (Independent)[4]
Independent William Robert Lang Jr. (Other)[4]
Independent Gregory Taylor Jr. (Other)[4]

Not running:

David Vitter (R) - Incumbent[22]

 Withdrew:
Abhay Patel[23][24]


Race background

Incumbent David Vitter (R) sought election in Louisiana's gubernatorial race in 2015. Following his defeat in that race, he announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2016.[8]

Endorsements

Foster Campbell

Caroline Fayard

John Fleming

  • The Club for Growth - "Fleming has worked in Washington for pro-growth legislation as a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus. In a crowded field of big-government Republicans and Democrats, Fleming stands out as a true economic conservative."[26]

John Kennedy

  • Former Gov. Mike Foster[27]

Rob Maness

Polls

Louisiana Senate - Open Primary
Poll Republican Party John Kennedy Republican Party Charles BoustanyDemocratic Party Caroline FayardDemocratic Party Foster CampbellRepublican Party John FlemingRepublican Party Rob ManessRepublican Party David DukeRepublican Party Joseph CaoRepublican Party Joshua PellerinIndependent Troy HebertMargin of ErrorSample Size
FOX 8/Mason-Dixon
October 20, 2016		24%11%12%19%10%3%5%0%0%0%+/-4.4625
SMOR
September 15-17, 2016		16.9%15.2%11.4%9.2%8.3%3.3%3.1%1.7%1.7%0.8%+/-4.4500
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Media

Charles Boustany

"Ports" - Boustany's first TV ad, released August 2016
"Shouting" - Boustany's second TV ad, released August 2016
"Together" - Boustany campaign ad, released August 2016


"Heart" - Boustany campaign ad, released October 2016
"Heart" - Boustany ad opposing John Kennedy, released October 2016

Foster Campbell

"Three Things" - Campbell's first ad, released October 2016

Caroline Fayard

"Louisiana's Future" - Fayard's first ad, released October 2016
"What Really Matters" - Fayard ad opposing Foster Campbell, released October 2016

John Fleming

"Not Easy" - Fleming's first TV ad, released May 2016
"Food Fight" - Fleming campaign ad, released September 2016

John Kennedy

"Shocking" - ESA Fund ad supporting Kennedy, released September 2016
"Fighting for Louisiana" - Kennedy campaign ad, released September 2016
"Scam" - Ending Spending ad opposing Fleming and Boustany, released October 2016
"The Conservative for Louisiana" - Kennedy campaign ad, released October 2016

Rob Maness

"Fighter" - Warrior PAC ad supporting Maness, released September 2016

Abhay Patel

"True Outsider" - Patel campaign ad, released September 2016

Election history

2014

See also: United States Senate elections in Louisiana, 2014

On December 6, 2014, Bill Cassidy (R) defeated incumbent Mary Landrieu (D) in a runoff election. Cassidy and Landrieu were forced into a runoff election after neither candidate won the majority of votes in the November 6, 2014, election.

U.S. Senate, Louisiana Runoff Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Mary Landrieu Incumbent 44.1% 561,210
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBill Cassidy 55.9% 712,379
Total Votes 1,273,589
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State
U.S. Senate, Louisiana General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMary Landrieu Incumbent 42.1% 619,402
     Democratic Wayne Ables 0.8% 11,323
     Democratic Vallian Senegal 0.3% 3,831
     Democratic William Waymire Jr. 0.3% 4,673
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBill Cassidy 41% 603,084
     Republican Rob Maness 13.8% 202,556
     Republican Thomas Clements 1% 14,173
     Libertarian Brannon Lee McMorris 0.9% 13,034
Total Votes 1,472,076
Source: Mary Landrieu and Bill Cassidy headed to a runoff election on December 6, 2014. Louisiana Secretary of State

2010

On November 2, 2010, Vitter (R) won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Charlie Melancon (D), Michael Karlton Brown (I), R. A. "Skip" Galan (I), Milton Gordon (I), Sam Houston Melton, Jr. (I), Randall Todd Hayes (L), William R. McShan (Reform), Michael Lane "Mike" Spears (I), Ernest D. Woolon (I), William Robert "Bob" Lang, Jr. (I) and Thomas G. "Tommy" LaFarge (I) in the general election.[29]

U.S. Senate, Louisiana General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Vitter Incumbent 56.6% 715,415
     Democratic Charlie Melancon 37.7% 476,572
     Independent Michael Karlton Brown 0.8% 9,973
     Independent R. A. "Skip" Galan 0.6% 7,474
     Independent Milton Gordon 0.4% 4,810
     Independent Sam Houston Melton, Jr. 0.3% 3,780
     Libertarian Randall Todd Hayes 1.1% 13,957
     Reform William R. McShan 0.5% 5,879
     Independent Michael Lane "Mike" Spears 0.7% 9,190
     Independent Ernest D. Woolon 0.6% 8,167
     Independent William Robert "Bob" Lang, Jr. 0.5% 5,734
     Independent Thomas G. "Tommy" LaFarge 0.3% 4,043
Total Votes 1,264,994
  1. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 Senate Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
  2. ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 Senate," accessed July 18, 2016
  3. ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "Senate Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed July 25, 2016
  5. ↑ The New York Times, "Why Louisiana's Voting System Is Unusual," November 16, 1991
  6. ↑ This information was provided by ballot access expert Richard Winger in January 2016.
  7. ↑ Vitter for Louisiana, "David Vitter," accessed January 27, 2015
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Nola.com, "David Vitter won't run for his U.S. Senate seat again," November 21, 2015
  9. ↑ The Advocate, "Democrat Caroline Fayard launches U.S. Senate bid," February 4, 2016
  10. ↑ The Advocate, "Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell running for the U.S. Senate," February 26, 2016
  11. ↑ The Advertiser, "Seeking Senate seat: Pellerin will run," February 24, 2016
  12. ↑ Email submission to Ballotpedia, June 4, 2016
  13. ↑ Derrick Edwards for Senate, "Home," accessed June 30, 2016
  14. ↑ Kaitlin Marone for Senate, "Home," accessed July 7, 2016
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Hill, "Louisiana Senate scramble begins," November 23, 2015
  16. ↑ National Journal, "Rob Maness Files for Louisiana Senate Race," December 8, 2015
  17. ↑ nola.com, "Joseph Cao enters Senate race for Vitter's seat, tells supporters by email," December 16, 2015
  18. ↑ WDSU, "Treasurer Kennedy joins fray to succeed Vitter," January 26, 2016
  19. ↑ USA Today, "Ex-KKK leader David Duke to run for U.S. Senate seat," July 22, 2016
  20. ↑ Thomas Clements for Senate, "Home," accessed July 20, 2016
  21. ↑ KATC.com, "Troy Hebert to run for Senate," January 28, 2016
  22. ↑ Nola.com, "David Vitter won't run for his U.S. Senate seat again," November 21, 2015
  23. ↑ KNOE.com, "Patel to announce candidacy for United States Senate," June 10, 2016
  24. ↑ The Acadiana Advocate, "Senate candidate Abhay Patel suspends race and endorses Charles Boustany," October 20, 2016
  25. ↑ The Advocate', "Gov. John Bel Edwards to host fundraiser for Foster Campbell," May 16, 2016
  26. ↑ LaPolitics, "Tuesday Tracker – Issue 51 – April 19, 2016," April 19, 2016
  27. ↑ The Town Talk, "Mike Foster endorses John Kennedy in U.S. Senate race," August 1, 2016
  28. ↑ Twitter, "Andrea Drusch," February 3, 2016
  29. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed July 4, 2013
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