| Elections - AP Senate |
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Terrell Leading Landrieu in Senate Race
By GUY COATES, Associated Press Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu (news, bio, voting record) and Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell were locked in a runoff too close to call Saturday as the GOP looked to extend its midterm election triumph by boosting its Senate majority to 52 seats.
With 58 percent of precincts reporting, Terrell had 345,284 votes, or 51 percent, and Landrieu had 332,568, or 49 percent.
Another race on the ballot — for an open U.S. House seat — was also a dead heat.
With 75 percent of precincts reporting, Republican Lee Fletcher had 64,427 votes and Democrat Rodney Alexander had 63,852 votes — each 50 percent. The two men are seeking the seat Republican John Cooksey gave up to run for Senate.
The unusual December election capped a nasty Senate campaign that featured a flood of appearances by Republican bigwigs, including President Bush (news - web sites).
With sunny skies and cool temperatures, Secretary of State Fox McKeithen said he expected turnout to be 45 percent — low by Louisiana standards. Voters seemed dismayed by the sharp salvos between the two New Orleans women who share the same views on most political issues.
Tom Loesch, a Democrat from New Orleans, said he was "saddened to have to choose between two Republicans, one of them in a Democrat's clothing." He said he had to support Landrieu because he "didn't want to give Bush anything else."
Terrell, 48, came out of nowhere three years ago to become the first Republican woman to win statewide office, as elections commissioner. Trying to become the first Republican senator here since Reconstruction, she cast herself as a loyal ally of the president.
Landrieu, 46, has been in politics all her life. The daughter of former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, she won her first term six years ago with a 6,000-vote squeaker, prompting her to joke that she was no "Landslide Landrieu."
Landrieu tried to keep her centrist image this time around, relying on fellow Democrat Sen. John Breaux (news, bio, voting record) but no party big-hitters like former President Clinton (news - web sites).
While the rest of the nation decided its congressional elections Nov. 5, Louisiana held a unique open primary where candidates from both sides run. Landrieu failed to get the simple majority needed for outright victory and wound up in the runoff with second-place finisher Terrell. Republicans held 51 seats in the Senate after the November elections and took aim at this race for the icing on the cake. In addition to bragging rights, an additional GOP seat would be ammunition in the fight to get more committee seats. And it would provide a cushion in case a Republican senator left office and was replaced by a Democrat. Landrieu was caught in a bind during the campaign, remembering that Bush had carried the state in 2000. Her primary campaign ads boasted that she had voted with the president 74 percent of the time but not on issues that were harmful to Louisiana. That strategy kept black voters at home in large numbers on primary day, their leaders complaining that Landrieu sounded like a Republican. For the runoff, Landrieu fired her strategists and launched a more aggressive attack in a bid to appear more independent. Terrell's message changed from a primary campaign that said the president needed control of the Senate to one that stressed that Louisiana "has one good senator but needs one in the majority party to get more done for the state." It was a reference to Breaux, who is as popular in Louisiana as the president. Bush even praised Breaux when he campaigned for Terrell. Loyalty to Bush became the major issue. Both candidates were not far apart on issues such as Social Security (news - web sites), Medicare, prescription drugs for the elderly and homeland defense. Both support Bush's stand on Iraq. The glaring difference between the two Roman Catholics was on abortion: Landrieu supports abortion rights and Terrell is anti-abortion. Louisiana is heavily Catholic and in the 1996 campaign, former archbishop Philip Hannan said it would be a sin to vote for Landrieu. In the House race, Fletcher, 36, and Alexander, 55, both touted themselves as conservative businessmen best suited to take the seat Cooksey held for three terms. With another race still undecided in Colorado, Republicans control 228 seats in the new House, compared to 204 for the Democrats, with one independent. ___ On the Net: Campaigns: http://www.marylandrieu.com and http://www.suzieterrell.com
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