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United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2016

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2016 U.S. Senate Election in Louisiana
General Date
December 10, 2016
Primary Date
November 8, 2016
General Election Winner:
John KennedyRepublican Party
Incumbent prior to election:
David VitterRepublican 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 inLouisianaelected one member to theU.S. Senate in theelection on December 10, 2016.

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

Louisiana elections use theLouisiana 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, seethis article.

Candidate Filing DeadlinePrimary ElectionGeneral Election
July 22, 2016
November 8, 2016
December 10, 2016



Incumbent: The election filled theClass 3 Senate seat held byDavid Vitter (R). Vitter ran for Governor of Louisiana in 2015 but was defeated in the general election.[5] Following incumbent Vitter's loss in thegubernatorial race, he announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2016.[6]

Election results

General election

U.S. Senate, Louisiana General Election, 2016
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngJohn Kennedy60.7%536,191
    Democratic Foster Campbell39.3%347,816
Total Votes884,007
Source:Louisiana Secretary of State

Primary election

U.S. Senate, Louisiana Primary Election, 2016
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngJohn Kennedy25%482,591
    DemocraticGreen check mark transparent.pngFoster Campbell17.5%337,833
    Republican Charles Boustany15.4%298,008
    Democratic Caroline Fayard12.5%240,917
    Republican John Fleming10.6%204,026
    Republican Rob Maness4.7%90,856
    Republican David Duke3%58,606
    Democratic Derrick Edwards2.7%51,774
    Democratic Gary Landrieu2.4%45,587
    Republican Donald Crawford1.3%25,523
    Republican Joseph Cao1.1%21,019
    Independent Beryl Billiot1%19,352
    Libertarian Thomas Clements0.6%11,370
    Independent Troy Hebert0.5%9,503
    Democratic Josh Pellerin0.4%7,395
    Democratic Peter Williams0.4%6,855
    Democratic Vinny Mendoza0.3%4,927
    Independent Kaitlin Marone0.2%4,108
    Libertarian Le Roy Gillam0.2%4,067
    Republican Charles Marsala0.2%3,684
    Independent Arden Wells0.1%1,483
    Independent Bob Lang0.1%1,424
    Independent Gregory Taylor0.1%1,151
Total Votes1,932,059
Source:Louisiana Secretary of State

Candidates

General election candidates:

Republican PartyJohn KennedyApproveda
Democratic PartyFoster Campbell

Primary candidates:

Democratic PartyCaroline Fayard - Lawyer[7]
Democratic PartyFoster Campbell - Public service commissioner[8]Approveda
Democratic PartyJosh Pellerin - Businessman[9]
Democratic PartyPeter Williams[10]
Democratic PartyDerrick Edwards[11] - Lawyer and disability advocate
Democratic PartyKaitlin Marone - Comedian[12]
Democratic PartyGary Landrieu[4]
Democratic PartyVinny Mendoza[4]
Republican PartyJohn Fleming - U.S. Rep.[13]
Republican PartyCharles Boustany Jr. - U.S. Rep.[13]
Republican PartyRob Maness - Retired colonel[14]
Republican PartyJoseph Cao - Former congressman[15]
Republican PartyJohn Kennedy - State treasurer[16]Approveda
Republican PartyDavid Duke - Former KKK leader[17]
Republican PartyDonald Crawford[4]
Republican PartyCharles Marsala
Libertarian PartyThomas Clements (Libertarian)[18]
Libertarian PartyLe Roy Gillam (Libertarian)[4]
Grey.pngTroy Hebert (Independent) - Former state sen.[19]
Grey.pngBeryl Billiot (Independent)[4]
Grey.pngArden Wells (Independent)[4]
Grey.pngWilliam Robert Lang Jr. (Other)[4]
Grey.pngGregory Taylor Jr. (Other)[4]

Did not run:

David Vitter (R) - Incumbent[20]

Withdrew:
Abhay Patel[21][22]


Race background

IncumbentDavid Vitter (R) sought election inLouisiana'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.[6]

Endorsements

Foster Campbell

Caroline Fayard

John Fleming

  • TheClub 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."[24]

John Kennedy

  • Former Gov. Mike Foster[25]

Rob Maness

Polls

Louisiana Senate - Open Primary
PollRepublican Party John KennedyRepublican Party Charles BoustanyDemocratic Party Caroline FayardDemocratic Party Foster CampbellRepublican Party John FlemingRepublican Party Rob ManessRepublican Party David DukeRepublican Party Joseph CaoRepublican Party Joshua PellerinGrey.png 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 toeditor@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 incumbentMary Landrieu (D) in the general election. Cassidy and Landrieu were forced into a general election after neither candidate won the majority of votes in the primary on November 6, 2014.

U.S. Senate, Louisiana General Election, 2014
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    Democratic Mary LandrieuIncumbent44.1%561,210
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngBill Cassidy55.9%712,379
Total Votes1,273,589
Source:Louisiana Secretary of State
U.S. Senate, Louisiana Primary Election, 2014
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    DemocraticGreen check mark transparent.pngMary LandrieuIncumbent42.1%619,402
    Democratic Wayne Ables0.8%11,323
    Democratic Vallian Senegal0.3%3,831
    Democratic William Waymire Jr.0.3%4,673
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngBill Cassidy41%603,084
    Republican Rob Maness13.8%202,556
    Republican Thomas Clements1%14,173
    Libertarian Brannon Lee McMorris0.9%13,034
Total Votes1,472,076
Source:Mary Landrieu andBill 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 theUnited 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 primary election.[27]

Louisiana elections use theLouisiana 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, seethis article.

U.S. Senate, Louisiana Primary Election, 2010
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngDavid VitterIncumbent56.6%715,415
    Democratic Charlie Melancon37.7%476,572
    Independent Michael Karlton Brown0.8%9,973
    Independent R. A. "Skip" Galan0.6%7,474
    Independent Milton Gordon0.4%4,810
    Independent Sam Houston Melton, Jr.0.3%3,780
    Libertarian Randall Todd Hayes1.1%13,957
    Reform William R. McShan0.5%5,879
    Independent Michael Lane "Mike" Spears0.7%9,190
    Independent Ernest D. Woolon0.6%8,167
    Independent William Robert "Bob" Lang, Jr.0.5%5,734
    Independent Thomas G. "Tommy" LaFarge0.3%4,043
Total Votes1,264,994

Campaign contributions

David Vitter

David Vitter (2016) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[28]April 13, 2015$41,142$70,910$(39,599)$72,453
July Quarterly[29]July 15, 2015$72,453$39,181$(22,774)$88,859
Running totals
$110,091$(62,373)

John Fleming

John Fleming (2016) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period		ExpendituresCash on Hand
April Quarterly[30]April 14, 2015$1,090,755$383,957$(70,449)$1,404,264
July Quarterly[31]July 14, 2015$2,404,264$742,653$(71,382)$2,075,535
Running totals
$1,126,610$(141,831)

Important dates and deadlines

See also:Louisiana elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Louisiana in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
DeadlineEvent typeEvent description
September 8, 2015Campaign finance"180th day prior to primary report" due
December 2, 2015Ballot accessQualifying period opens for presidential preference and municipal primaries
December 4, 2015Ballot accessQualifying period closes for presidential preference and municipal primaries
December 7, 2015Campaign finance"90th day prior to primary report" due
February 4, 2016Campaign finance"30th day prior to primary report" due
February 24, 2016Campaign finance"10th day prior to primary report" due
March 5, 2016Election datePresidential preference primary and municipal primary elections
March 15, 2016Campaign finance"Election Day expenditures report" due
March 23, 2016Campaign finance"10th day prior to general report" due
April 2, 2016Election dateMunicipal general election
April 12, 2016Campaign finance"Election Day expenditures report" due
May 12, 2016Campaign finance"40th day after general report" due
May 12, 2016Campaign finance"180th day prior to primary report" due
July 20, 2016Ballot accessQualifying period opens for open primary election
July 22, 2016Ballot accessQualifying period closes for open primary election
August 10, 2016Campaign finance"90th day prior to primary report" due
October 11, 2016Campaign finance"30th day prior to primary report" due
October 29, 2016Campaign finance"10th day prior to primary report" due
November 8, 2016Election dateOpen primary election
November 18, 2016Campaign finance"Election Day expenditures report" due
November 30, 2016Campaign finance"10th day prior to general report" due
December 10, 2016Election dateOpen general election
December 20, 2016Campaign finance"Election Day expenditures report" due
January 19, 2017Campaign finance"40th day after general report" due
February 15, 2017Campaign finance"Annual report" due
Sources:Louisiana Secretary of State, "2016 Elections," June 2014
Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates for Candidates and PACs Supporting or Opposing Candidates, Primary Election–March 5, 2016, General Election–April 2, 2016," accessed June 30, 2015
Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates for Candidates and PACs Supporting or Opposing Candidates, Primary Election–November 8, 2016, General Election–December 10, 2016

See also

Footnotes

  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. ↑4.04.14.24.34.44.54.64.74.8Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed July 25, 2016
  5. ↑Vitter for Louisiana, "David Vitter," accessed January 27, 2015
  6. ↑6.06.1Nola.com, "David Vitter won't run for his U.S. Senate seat again," November 21, 2015
  7. ↑The Advocate, "Democrat Caroline Fayard launches U.S. Senate bid," February 4, 2016
  8. ↑The Advocate, "Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell running for the U.S. Senate," February 26, 2016
  9. ↑The Advertiser, "Seeking Senate seat: Pellerin will run," February 24, 2016
  10. ↑Email submission to Ballotpedia, June 4, 2016
  11. ↑Derrick Edwards for Senate, "Home," accessed June 30, 2016
  12. ↑Kaitlin Marone for Senate, "Home," accessed July 7, 2016
  13. ↑13.013.1The Hill, "Louisiana Senate scramble begins," November 23, 2015
  14. ↑National Journal, "Rob Maness Files for Louisiana Senate Race," December 8, 2015
  15. ↑nola.com, "Joseph Cao enters Senate race for Vitter's seat, tells supporters by email," December 16, 2015
  16. ↑WDSU, "Treasurer Kennedy joins fray to succeed Vitter," January 26, 2016
  17. ↑USA Today, "Ex-KKK leader David Duke to run for U.S. Senate seat," July 22, 2016
  18. ↑Thomas Clements for Senate, "Home," accessed July 20, 2016
  19. ↑KATC.com, "Troy Hebert to run for Senate," January 28, 2016
  20. ↑Nola.com, "David Vitter won't run for his U.S. Senate seat again," November 21, 2015
  21. ↑KNOE.com, "Patel to announce candidacy for United States Senate," June 10, 2016
  22. ↑The Acadiana Advocate, "Senate candidate Abhay Patel suspends race and endorses Charles Boustany," October 20, 2016
  23. ↑The Advocate', "Gov. John Bel Edwards to host fundraiser for Foster Campbell," May 16, 2016
  24. ↑LaPolitics, "Tuesday Tracker – Issue 51 – April 19, 2016," April 19, 2016
  25. ↑The Town Talk, "Mike Foster endorses John Kennedy in U.S. Senate race," August 1, 2016
  26. ↑Twitter, "Andrea Drusch," February 3, 2016
  27. ↑U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed July 4, 2013
  28. ↑Federal Election Commission, "David Vitter April Quarterly," accessed August 12, 2015
  29. ↑Federal Election Commission, "David Vitter July Quarterly," accessed August 12, 2015
  30. ↑Federal Election Commission, "John Fleming April Quarterly," accessed August 12, 2015
  31. ↑Federal Election Commission, "John Fleming July Quarterly," accessed August 12, 2015
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For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see:Public policy in the 2016 elections!


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
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District 5
District 6
Republican Party (6)
Democratic Party (2)