Summary
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.
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During the runoff, Landrieu was outspent three-to-one by Terrell, who also had prominent Republicans including President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney visit Louisiana to campaign on her behalf. Republicans, confident of victory having gained seats in the elections to the House of Representatives and to the Senate, solidifying control of the former and taking control of the latter, publicly called the election "Operation Icing on the Cake".[1][2] Some Democrats responded by calling their efforts "Operation Wipe that Smirk off of Bush's Face"[3] and dubbed Landrieu's subsequent run-off victory, "Operation Pie in the Face".[4]
Candidates edit
Democratic edit
- Raymond Brown
- Mary Landrieu, incumbent U.S. Senator
Republican edit
- John Cooksey, U.S. Representative
- Tony Perkins, State Representative
- Ernest Edward Skillman
- Suzanne Haik Terrell, Louisiana Elections Commissioner
Independents edit
- Live Wire Landry
- James Lemann
- Gary D. Robbins
Primary results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mary Landrieu (Incumbent) | 573,347 | 46.00% | ||
| Republican | Suzanne Haik Terrell | 339,506 | 27.24% | ||
| Republican | John Cooksey | 171,752 | 13.78% | ||
| Republican | Tony Perkins | 119,776 | 9.61% | ||
| Democratic | Raymond Brown | 23,553 | 1.89% | ||
| Independent | Patrick E. "Live Wire" Landry | 10,442 | 0.84% | ||
| Independent | James Lemann | 3,866 | 0.31% | ||
| Libertarian | Gary D. Robbins | 2,423 | 0.19% | ||
| Republican | Ernest Edward Skillman, Jr. | 1,668 | 0.13% | ||
| Turnout | 1,246,333 | 100.00% | |||
Runoff edit
Debates (Jungle primary & runoff) edit
- Complete video of debate, October 24, 2002
- Complete video of debate, October 28, 2002
- Complete video of debate, October 29, 2002
- Complete video of debate, November 17, 2002
- Complete video of debate, November 21, 2002
- Complete video of debate, November 25, 2002
- Complete video of debate, December 2, 2002
Predictions edit
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[5] | Lean D | November 4, 2002 |
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mary Landrieu (incumbent) | 638,654 | 51.70% | +1.53% | |
| Republican | Suzanne Haik Terrell | 596,642 | 48.30% | -1.53% | |
| Majority | 42,012 | 3.40% | +3.06% | ||
| Turnout | 1,235,296 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Parishes that flipped from Republican to Democratic edit
- Cameron (Largest community: Grand Lake)
- Catahoula (Largest town: Jonesville)
- East Baton Rouge (Largest city: Baton Rouge)
- Evangeline (Largest city: Ville Platte)
- Jefferson Davis (Largest city: Jennings)
- Morehouse (Largest city: Bastrop)
- Saint Martin (Largest city: Breaux Bridge)
- Saint Landry (Largest city: Opelousas)
- Washington (Largest city: Bogalusa)
Analysis edit
Landrieu pulled off what many considered to be an upset victory. The Republicans believed they would most likely win the race. Before the election, many Republicans called the race operation icing on the cake. After Landrieu won the runoff Democrats dubbed her victory operation pie in the face. The race was close. In terms of rural parishes, the vote was split fairly evenly. Landrieu did well in Caddo Parish home of Shreveport, and in East Baton Rouge Parish home of Baton Rouge. Ultimately though it was Landrieu's huge win in Orleans Parish home of New Orleans that pushed her over the finish line. Haik Terrell conceded defeat to Landrieu at 12:38 P.M. EST, congratulating Landrieu on her victory. Landrieu would go on to be reelected to a third term in 2008, but ultimately defeated in her bid for a fourth term in 2014.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Landrieu Faces Terrell for Senate in Louisiana Runoff Race Ms Magazine, December 6, 2002
- ^ Reversal of Fortune American Prospect, December 12, 2002
- ^ More thoughts on Louisiana victories Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Daily Kos, December 8, 2002
- ^ Operation "Pie in the Face": Dems sweep LA Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Daily Kos, December 8, 2002
- ^ "Senate Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on November 18, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
External links edit
- Elections Division from the Louisiana Secretary of State