BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu heads into Louisiana’s Dec. 6 runoff as a clear underdog. She’s struggling for another six-year term against a wave of conservative sentiment at home and against Republicans looking to pad their new Senate majority.
Fifty-eight percent of voters chose another candidate Tuesday.
Landrieu is the last Democratic statewide elected official in a state where President Barack Obama remains highly unpopular. Meanwhile, her campaign theme of clout was undercut when her party was forced into minority status.
But Landrieu insisted Wednesday she can defeat Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy in the runoff, despite consistent polling that shows her trailing.
She characterized Tuesday’s election as aligned against her because of a “national atmosphere” of frustration with Obama. Now, she says voters can focus on differences between her and Cassidy.