In Louisiana’s Senate race, Mary Landrieu is confronted withan electorate increasingly less likely to identify as Democrat

polls in the Pelican State show the incumbent Senator, Mary Landrieu in a dead heat with her challenger, Republican Bill Cassidy, with the race likely to go to a runoff in December. Edward E. Chervenak writes that Landrieu is facing a difficult reelection fight because of her association with the unpopular President Obama in the state, and Louisiana’s recent swing away from the Democratic Party. He writes that since Landrieu was first elected in 1996, Democratic registration in the state has fallen significantly, while Republican and Independent identification has been on the rise. If she is to be successful, Landrieu will have to mobilize these Independent voters in the face of a distinct Republican advantage in turnout this November.