This year’s campaign season ended in a very predictable way as Louisiana helped the Republican Party lock down its control of the U.S. Senate. Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy won the state’s runoff election on Saturday—and it wasn’t even close. Kennedy got 61 percent of the vote while Democrat Foster Campbell received a paltry 39 percent to succeed retiring Republican Sen. David Vitter. The election means Republicans have a 52-48 advantage over Democrats in the Senate.
“Somebody once said winning isn’t everything, and that’s true, but it sure does feel good,” Kennedy said at his victory party in Baton Rouge.
Kennedy was always seen as having the clear advantage in the race considering Louisiana has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 2008. But many Democrats tried to help boost Campbell’s chances over the past few weeks with a late surge in donations that followed President-Elect Donald Trump’s victory last month. Several celebrities and Democratic leaders called on people to donate to Campbell as a stand against Trump.
Kennedy, however, got a big boost from Trump’s popularity in the state, which he won by 20 points, as both the president-elect and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence campaigned for him. Throughout the campaign, Kennedy echoed Trump’s anti-Washington rhetoric, often railing against what he described as wasteful spending by the government. He also frequently criticized Obamacare and supported Trump’s call to build a wall along the Mexican border. “If John’s not there, maybe we can’t build the wall,” Trump said at a rally on Friday.
The Republican National Committee quickly celebrated Kennedy’s victory and what it could mean for the GOP agenda in Congress. “With 52 seats in the U.S. Senate, we are excited for Republicans to confirm a conservative Supreme Court justice and begin working with President-elect Trump to pass an agenda of change for the American people,” a statement from RNC co-chair Sharon Day said.
For Kennedy, third time was the charm as he had twice before tried for a Senate seat, although not under the same parties. First, he was defeated by Vitter in 2004 when he ran as a Democrat and then Sen. Mary Landrieu in 2008 as a Republican.
Separately, voters also elected Republican Clay Higgins, a former sheriff’s captain who became famous online as the “Cajun John Wayne” to represent the Third Congressional District. Higgins was known for his weekly “Crime Stoppers” segment on a local news show that frequently featured Higgins talking tough on crime. Controversy over the videos led Higgins to resign from the Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office earlier this year.
