Why Mary Landrieu won
In the end it comes down to this: Landrieu is a far better campaigner than Terrell and had more advantages.
Terrell had the following advantages:
1. The D next to Landrieu’s name. The Democrat label is proving increasingly toxic in the south.
2. The Bush factor. As I’ve said before, I’m not a believer in the Bush bounce, but I’ll concede that it may have helped Terrell a little in this race.
3. Landrieu’s votes on wedge issues like the boy scouts and morning-after pill.
Landrieu had the following advantages:
1. She’s the incumbent.
2. She sits on the Appropriations and Armed Services committees, both important to Louisiana.
3. She managed to drum up a couple of issues that resonated in Louisiana, most notably sugar cane imports from Mexico and steel tariffs, both of which hurt Louisiana. I’m sure her call for a payroll tax cut played well, too.
4. There were no particularly controversial issues, like homeland security or the confederate flag in Georgia, to help Terrell.
5. Landrieu voted with the president on his tax cut, ANWR drilling, partial-birth abortion, Iraq and, in the end, homeland security. She could legitimately call herself “moderate” and/or “independent.”
6. Name ID. Landrieu is the daughter of Moon Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans.
7. Landrieu is a thoroughbred political animal. She started campaigning for her father at 5 and became a state legislator at 23.
8. Terrell is a very weak campaigner. She’s a poor debater, doesn’t look senatorial and ran weak positive ads.
9. Terrell has low name ID
10. The Bush factor. All those visits by Republican honchos may have reinforced the impression that Terrell was not ready for prime time and needed to be propped up.
11. The weather was good on election day – good for deer hunting and good for black voters to go to the polls.
12. Bush sacked Paul O’Neill and Larry Lindsey yesterday. He should have done so today, like he sacked Harvey Pitt on November 5.
With all the advantages Landrieu had, it should give Democrats little comfort that the race was this close. Louisiana is second only to Arkansas as the most Democratic southern state. Democrats will find it much harder to win in other southern states like Georgia and South Carolina.
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