NRSC Rethinks Decision to Pull Louisiana Ads
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is rethinking its decision earlier this week to pull party resources out of the Louisiana Senate contest that pits state Treasurer John Kennedy (R) against second-term Sen. Mary Landrieu (D).
We have seen the race in Louisiana close dramatically over the past week, so the strategy for this race is being re-evaluated, NRSC spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher said Friday afternoon.
The committee has already placed a $500,000-plus television ad buy for next week in the contest, which for most of the cycle had been viewed as the GOPs lone pickup opportunity in a cycle where Senate Republicans have been mostly playing defense. It remains to be seen whether the committee will continue to be on the air in the final week of the election.
One Louisiana GOP official said Friday morning that state Republicans never believed that the partys decision to pull resources out of the Senate contest was a reflection on how well Kennedy was running his campaign but rather on the simple fact that the NRSC makes incumbent retention its top priority. In recent weeks, Democratic challengers have closed the gap in polls in several Senate races including Georgia and Kentucky and put those seats in danger of falling to the Democratic column this cycle.