It has been more than 70 years since a sitting Senator lost an election in Louisiana. It has been almost 120 years since a Republican senatorial candidate in Louisiana won one. Both those streaks are safe--for now. On Saturday, Senator Mary Landrieu successfully defended her seat against challenger Suzanne Haik Terrell, by 51% to 49%, in a nasty, narrow runoff election that gives dazed Democrats a silver lining to their dark midterm cloud.
As victories go, it was an ugly one. Landrieu came into this race as the favorite. But Louisiana's idiosyncratic electoral system requires that candidates get 50% of the...
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