Winning the Louisiana Senate RaceHomepage > Politics Magazine > February 2009 > Winning the Louisiana Senate RaceHow Mary Landrieu Used Message Discipline to Overcome McCain’s Coattails... By Ron Faucheux The 2008 U.S. Senate election in Louisiana was one of the banner races of the cycle. Incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu, a centrist Democrat first elected to the post in 1996, was seeking a third term. Early on, the race became the No. 1 Senate target for national Republicans. Eventually, it was their only pick-up target among the 12 Democratic Senate seats on the ballot. GOP strategists looked forward to the slugfest. Here was a contest where they could play offensively. Given the defensive crouch in which the party found itself in Senate contests from New Hampshire to New Mexico, Oregon to Virginia, Colorado to North Carolina, it was a unique ray of hope—something to point to when pundits asked about the growing list of Republican vulnerabilities. Of course, Landrieu ultimately won the race on Nov. 4. But pulling off that victory was no easy task. It took $11 million, prudent strategy and a highly disciplined message campaign that stressed her record of fighting and delivering for Louisiana. It also took a campaign that stayed on the offense despite heavy opposition attacks. You must be a subscriber to read this article. Login above or click here to subscribe to the magazine. If you are getting this message in error, be sure you have cookies turned off. If you're still having trouble logging in, contact the magazine at info@politicsmagazine.com. |
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