Cassidy clobbers Landrieu By Lou Gehrig Burnett. They say no good deed goes unpunished. That’s how Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu must feel after being sent packing by Louisiana voters. She has done many good deeds for the state during her 18 years in the U.S. Senate, such as obtaining billions of dollars after hurricanes, the BP oil spill, and many other related issues, and passed legislation that will benefit the state for years to come. She made sure the state’s military installations remained viable. It had to be frustrating for Landrieu to receive only 20% of the vote in Vernon Parish where she saved Fort Polk for extinction. And she got only 27% of the vote in Bossier Parish where she has looked after Barksdale Air Force Base and promoted the Cyber Innovation Center. She was also a promoter for the state’s energy businesses as a member of the Senate Energy Committee where she recently became chairwoman. But, according to voters, she committed two bad deeds – supporting Obamacare and voting with President Barack Obama 97% of the time. That was the primary message of her opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, in almost every television ad. The message resonated with voters, and Cassidy defeated Landrieu by a 56-44% margin. Voter turnout in the state was 43.2%. Cassidy won 49 of the state’s 64 parishes en route to his convincing win. What was originally thought to be a cliff-hanger of an election turned out to be a landslide win for the Baton Rouge congressman. Political analysts surmise that there was nothing Landrieu could do change the outcome. The hatred of some voters of President Obama, for whatever reasons, superseded everything else. Even a developing scandal surrounding Cassidy’s work at LSU where it is alleged he was paid for work he didn’t do failed to deter the 56% of voters who cast ballots for him. After an in-depth investigation by WWL-TV, its political analyst, Clancy DuBos, said, “At a minimum, this looks like an inside deal for a guy who’s politically connected and LSU wanted to do a smoothie for a congressman. Worst case scenario, it’s payroll fraud.” How this situation plays out now that Cassidy has been elected to the U.S. Senate remains to be seen. LSU is doing its own investigation, and two ethics complaints have been filed in Congress against Cassidy. Be that as it may, Louisiana no longer has a statewide official who is a Democrat. Neither does any other state in the Deep South. You can color Louisiana and the rest of the Deep South a dark red. LAGOP Chairman Roger Villere probably summed it up best. He said it is the beginning of a new era in Louisiana politics. “This is a major milestone for the conservative movement in Louisiana,” he noted. As for Landrieu, she can take solace in the knowledge that she fought tirelessly for her state during her years in the U.S. Senate. Her defeat brings an end to a long political career. She served eight years as a state representative and eight as state treasurer prior to being elected to the U.S. Senate. The Fax-Net wishes Cassidy well as our new U.S. Senator. Should U.S. Sen. David Vitter be elected governor next year, Cassidy will have a heavy burden to shoulder because the state’s clout will be severely diminished. But, at least for the next two years, Cassidy will be a member of the majority party. How area parishes voted Here are the U.S. Senate race results from area parishes and the voter turnout for each parish: Bossier – Cassidy had 73% of the vote to 27% for Landrieu. Voter turnout was 40%. Caddo – Landrieu had 54% of the vote to 46% for Cassidy. Voter turnout as 41.7%. DeSoto – Cassidy had 54% of the vote to 46% for Landrieu. Voter turnout was 46.9%. Webster – Cassidy had 59% of the vote to 41% for Landrieu. Voter turnout was 46.6%.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 07:21:14 +0000
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