The close Senate race between Democrat Jamie Davis and Republican Julia Letlow has prompted discussions about Louisiana’s political future, with some experts suggesting the state may no longer be solidly Republican.
“We shouldn’t call Louisiana red; maybe we call it purple, maybe we call it hybrid,” Bob Mann, Louisiana State University professor emeritus, said. “Maybe we say that Louisiana is in play.”
After losing the Senate race by about 26,000 votes, Davis left the door open to remaining active in Louisiana politics.
“I may possibly think about running for governor,” Davis said. “But one thing I will tell you is that I will be supporting a candidate for governor, whether it’s myself or the next person.”
WDSU asked Congressman Troy Carter, a Democrat who won his bid for a fourth term representing Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, if he had urged the national Democratic Party to invest in Davis’s campaign.
“Absolutely. I did, at the top of my lungs,” Carter said. “I believe as close as this race was, if just a few more resources had been applied, we’d be swearing in Jamie soon.”
Mann said the election results could indicate a shift in the state’s political dynamics.
“A lot of it was a reaction against Trump. But a big part of it, I think in the South, like in states like Louisiana and Mississippi, is a reaction by Black voters and by some white Democrats, liberals who are particularly upset about the Supreme Court’s decision to just basically gut the Voting Rights Act,” Mann said.
Despite these observations, many Republican candidates still won in Louisiana. Coy Fortenberry from the State Republican Central Committee acknowledged internal challenges within the party and said a lot has changed since the primaries.
“You’re talking another four months of high gas prices, high grocery prices, a lot of gaslighting going on inside the party, telling people that something else is happening when we all live in reality; we can all see what is happening,” Fortenberry said. “There was a lot of defectors from the Republican Party that either didn’t vote or voted Democrat. I think they’re tired of being told what to do. Just because you have an R by your name does not mean you deserve my vote; you have to earn my vote.”
Looking ahead to next year’s governor’s race, Mann said Gov. Jeff Landry’s contentious relationships with some in his own party could come back to bite him.
“I would not be surprised if somebody like Lt. Gov. Nungesser or John Fleming or somebody like that runs against him,” Mann said. “He could be not only challenged on the left, but challenged from the right in his reelection.”
Mann said the state constitutional amendment approved by voters on Tuesday regarding governor term limits means former Gov. John Bel Edwards will likely not be eligible to run against Landry next year.
READ MORE:Louisiana Senate race raises questions about state’s political identity
