 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 Parish results Vitter: 40-50% 50-60% 60–70% 70-80% Contents
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Louisiana |
|---|
 |
 Government |
The 2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 2, 2010. Republican incumbent U.S. Senator David Vitter won re-election to a second term, becoming the first Republican ever to be re-elected to the United States Senate from Louisiana.
Vitter faced a potentially serious challenge in the Republican primary as well as the general election. Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré, who is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas across the Gulf Coast, was allegedly mulling over whether or not to challenge Vitter in the Republican Primary. [1] Tony Perkins, a former Louisiana state representative and current president of the socially conservative Family Research Council, acknowledged interest in running against Vitter because of the prostitution scandal. [2] [3] Nonetheless, Perkins decided not to run and endorsed Vitter for reelection. [4]
Some speculated that Vitter's reelection might have become complicated, by the prostitution scandal revealed in 2007, but he continued to lead in aggregate polling against potential opponents. [5]
Following a movement to draft him into the race, [6] John Cooksey, a former U.S. Representative, appeared poised to put together a challenge, planning on spending $200,000 of his own money. [7] Cooksey, however, pulled back and did not qualify.
A campaign to draft porn actress Stormy Daniels began in early 2009. She considered whether to run but ultimately declined to qualify. [8] [9] [10]
On June 14, 2009, Congressman Charlie Melançon announced his intentions to run for Senate in 2010. Melançon, who was representing Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District since 2005, released the announcement to his supporters, saying that "Louisiana needs a different approach, more bi-partisan, more disciplined, more honest and with a whole lot more common sense." Melançon was a leader of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats who aim to lower the deficit and reform the budget. [11] [12]
In the weeks before the election a major concern for Vitter's camp was possibly voter apathy about the race. For example, publisher Rolfe H. McCollister Jr., in his Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, endorsed fellow Republican Jay Dardenne over Democrat Caroline Fayard in the simultaneous race for Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, but then explicitly made "no endorsement" for U.S. Senate:
| Poll Source | Dates administered | Charlie Melançon | Neeson Chauvin | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarus Research Group | August 15–16, 2010 | 43% | 3% | 52% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Charlie Melançon | 77,702 | 70.61% | |
| Democratic | Neeson Chauvin | 19,507 | 17.73% | |
| Democratic | Cary Deaton | 12,842 | 11.67% | |
| Total votes | 110,051 | 100% | ||
| Poll Source | Dates administered | David Vitter (R) | Chet Traylor (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarus Research Group | August 15–16, 2010 | 74% | 5% | 18% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 21–22, 2010 | 81% | 5% | 9% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Vitter (Incumbent) | 85,179 | 87.6% | |
| Republican | Chet Traylor | 6,838 | 7.03% | |
| Republican | Nick Accardo | 5,221 | 5.37% | |
| Total votes | 97,238 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Randall Todd Hayes | 1,529 | 61.68% | |
| Libertarian | Anthony "Tony G" Gentile | 950 | 38.32% | |
| Total votes | 2,479 | 100% | ||
Melançon heavily criticized Vitter for prostitution sex scandal. [17] [18] Vitter released television advertising criticizing Melançon for his support for Obama's stimulus package and his support for amnesty for illegal immigrants. [19]
Melançon claimed "In August, Melançon challenged Vitter to a series of five live, televised town hall-style debates across the state. In his 2004 campaign for Senate, Vitter committed to five live, televised debates. Since Melançon issued the challenge, Vitter and Melançon have been invited to a total of seven live, televised debates. Vitter only accepted invitations to debates hosted by WWL-TV and WDSU-TV, both in New Orleans." [20]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report [24] | Lean R | October 26, 2010 |
| Rothenberg [25] | Likely R | October 22, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics [26] | Likely R | October 26, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [27] | Likely R | October 21, 2010 |
| CQ Politics [28] | Likely R | October 26, 2010 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | David Vitter (R) | Charlie Melançon (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000 | March 2–4, 2009 | 48% | 41% |
| Public Policy Polling | July 17–19, 2009 | 44% | 32% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 5, 2009 | 46% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports | January 14, 2010 | 53% | 35% |
| YouGovPolimetrix | January 6–11, 2010 | 52% | 32% |
| Rasmussen Reports | February 10, 2010 | 57% | 33% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 10, 2010 | 57% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 7, 2010 | 52% | 36% |
| Magellan Strategies Archived July 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine | June 10–13, 2010 | 51% | 31% |
| Public Policy Polling | June 12–13, 2010 | 46% | 37% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 24, 2010 | 53% | 35% |
| Clarus Research Group | August 15–16, 2010 | 48% | 36% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 21–22, 2010 | 51% | 41% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 30, 2010 | 54% | 33% |
| Magellan Strategies | September 19, 2010 | 52% | 34% |
| Magellan Strategies | October 10, 2010 | 51% | 35% |
| Anazalone Archived November 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine | October 22, 2010 | 46% | 43% |
| Clarus Research Group | October 21–24, 2010 | 50% | 38% |
| Magellan Strategies Archived November 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine | October 24, 2010 | 52% | 35% |
| Candidate (Party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash On Hand | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Vitter (R) | $8,384,938 | $6,833,900 | $3,555,994 | $0 |
| Charles Melançon (D) | $3,711,556 | $4,043,362 | $445,853 | $0 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission [29] | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Vitter (incumbent) | 715,415 | 56.56% | +5.53% | |
| Democratic | Charlie Melançon | 476,572 | 37.67% | +8.44% | |
| Libertarian | Randall Hayes | 13,957 | 1.1% | N/A | |
| Independent | Michael Brown | 9,973 | 0.79% | N/A | |
| Independent | Mike Spears | 9,190 | 0.73% | N/A | |
| Independent | Ernest Wooton | 8,167 | 0.65% | N/A | |
| Independent | Skip Galan | 7,474 | 0.59% | N/A | |
| Reform | William McShan | 5,879 | 0.46% | N/A | |
| Independent | Bob Lang | 5,734 | 0.45% | N/A | |
| Independent | Milton Gordon | 4,810 | 0.38% | N/A | |
| Independent | Tommy LaFargue | 4,043 | 0.32% | N/A | |
| Independent | Sam Melton | 3,780 | 0.3% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 1,264,994 | 100% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Mary Loretta Landrieu is an American entrepreneur and politician who served as a United States senator from Louisiana from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Landrieu served as the Louisiana State Treasurer from 1988 to 1996, and in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1980 to 1988.
John Berlinger Breaux is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician from Louisiana. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from 1987 to 2005. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party. Breaux was a member of the New Democrat Coalition.
David Bruce Vitter is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator from Louisiana from 2005 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Vitter served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005.
The 2010 United States Senate elections were held on November 2, 2010, from among the United States Senate's 100 seats. A special election was held on January 19, 2010, for a mid-term vacancy in Massachusetts. Thirty-four of the November elections were for six-year terms to the Senate's Class 3, while other three were special elections to finish incomplete terms. Those 37 November elections featured 19 incumbent Democrats and 18 incumbent Republicans.
Charles Joseph Melançon is an American politician and the former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
WWL-TV is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Slidell-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WUPL. The two stations share studios on Rampart Street in the historic French Quarter district; WWL-TV's transmitter is located on Cooper Road in Terrytown, Louisiana.
Anthony Richard Perkins is an American politician and Southern Baptist pastor, who has served as president of the Family Research Council since 2003. Previously, he was a police officer and television reporter. From 1996 to 2004, he served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2002. On May 14, 2018, he was appointed to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom by then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and on June 17, 2019, the Commission elected him Chairman.
Karen Carter Peterson is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a member of the Louisiana State House from 1999 to 2010, then as the state senator from the 5th district until her resignation in 2022. She also served as the chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party from 2012 to 2020, becoming the first female chair of the state party. In 2008, Peterson became as Democratic National Committeewoman for Louisiana. In 2017, Peterson was elected vice chair of civic engagement and voter participation for the Democratic National Committee.
The 2004 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Democratic Senator John Breaux decided to retire after three terms in office. Republican Representative David Vitter won the open seat with more than 50% of the primary vote. He thus avoided a runoff that would have otherwise been held on December 4, became the first Louisiana Republican elected to the U.S. Senate since 1876, and the first ever to be popularly elected. This election was the first time ever that a Republican won a full term to this Senate seat in Louisiana.
The 2002 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu won re-election to a second term, although she did not earn 50% of the vote in the first round and was therefore forced into a runoff election with Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell, the Louisiana Elections Commissioner.
The 2011 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on October 22 with 10 candidates competing in a nonpartisan blanket primary. Incumbent Republican Bobby Jindal won a second term. Since he won an outright majority of the vote in the blanket primary, a runoff election that would have otherwise occurred on November 19 was unnecessary. This was the last time until 2023 that a Republican was elected governor of Louisiana, or that a Louisiana governor election was decided without a runoff.
Troy Anthony Carter Sr. is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district since 2021. He was previously a member of the Louisiana State Senate for the 7th district. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter also previously served on the New Orleans City Council and as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He is currently the only Democrat in Louisiana's congressional delegation.
Elections were held on November 2, 2010 to determine Louisiana's seven members of the United States House of Representatives. Representatives were elected for two-year terms to serve in the 112th United States Congress from January 3, 2011 until January 3, 2013. Primary elections were held on August 28, 2010, and a runoff election for the Republican Party nomination in the 3rd district took place on October 2, 2010.
The 2014 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Louisiana.
The 2015 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on November 21, 2015, to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Republican Governor Bobby Jindal was not eligible to run for re-election to a third term because of term limits established by the Louisiana Constitution.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Louisiana took place on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Louisiana, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Ernest Durham Wooton was an American politician.
The 2021 Louisiana's 2nd congressional district special election was held on March 20, 2021, with a runoff being held on April 24, 2021.
The 2023 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on October 14, 2023 to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Governor John Bel Edwards was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office. This race was one of two Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2023 in a state that voted for Donald Trump in 2020.
