Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy and Democratic Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell will advance to Louisiana’s U.S. Senate runoff election on Dec. 10 after emerging as the top two candidates in last night’s general election.
Kennedy, who had name recognition from his time as the state’s chief financial officer, was the leading candidate, receiving more than 25 percent of the vote. Campbell, one of six Democrats running in the election, won more than 17 percent of vote after fighting for the second spot with Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, who ended with 15.5 percent of the vote.
Two other candidates received more than 10 percent of the vote. Republican U.S. Rep. John Fleming had about 10.4 percent of the vote, and New Orleans attorney Caroline Fayard, a Democrat, had more than 12 percent of the vote.
No other candidate received more than 5 percent. David Duke, who polled at the minimum 5 percent to appear in the last televised Senate debate, received about 3 percent of the vote.
Boustany and Campbell battled for much of the night, though Campbell’s large turnouts in Orleans, Jefferson, East Baton Rouge and Caddo Parishes – many of the same parishes Kennedy excelled in – helped him edge out the sitting Congressman.
Campbell, who had the state’s top Democratic endorsement in Gov. John Bel Edwards, will fight to keep Democratic turnout high in the December runoff, as it has historically lagged after the general election.