Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said Thursday that President Obama and his Democratic allies have had a tough go of it in the South during the 2014 midterm elections due to the region’s historical hostility toward African Americans and women.
The incumbent senator’s remarks came after NBC News’ Chuck Todd asked her why Obama is having a hard time in Louisiana.
RELATED: Manchin: Energy states ‘dead’ without Louisiana’s Landrieu
“Let me be very, very honest with you,” Landrieu said. “The South has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans. It’s been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader.”
She added: “It has not always been a good place for women, to be able to present ourselves. It’s more of a conservative place. So we’ve had to work a little bit harder on that. But, you know, the people trust me, I believe. Really, they do.”
The Pelican State’s Republican governor, Bobby Jindal, responded angrily to Landrieu’s suggestion.
RELATED: Landrieu defends $2.5m Capitol Hill mansion, just ’36 feet wide’
“She appears to be living in a different century,” the governor said Thursday in a statement. “Implied in her comments is the clear suggestion that President Obama and his policies are unpopular in Louisiana because of his ethnicity. That is a major insult by Senator Landrieu to the people of Louisiana and I flatly reject it.”
Landrieu currently trails her Republican challenger, Congressman Bill Cassidy, in the polls 46.8 to 42.3 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics weighted average.
RELATED: Sen. Mary Landrieu, Rep. Bill Cassidy offer opposing climate change views
Republicans need to pick up a net six seats if they want to control the U.S. Senate after the crucial Nov. 4 midterm elections. Landrieu suggesting that voters in her state suffer from deep-rooted problems with racism and sexism may put Republicans one step closer to wresting control of Congress’ upper chamber from the hands of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Landrieu, for her part, maintains that she’s a moderate and that she stands for the people of Louisiana.
“Right now the country is very polarized and it’s because we’ve got FOX on one side and MSNBC on the other and people just fighting for the center,” she said, according to NBC News. “But I’ve been in the center. I’ve never moved.”
