Louisiana Republican Senate candidate Bill Cassidy holds a double-digit lead in the most recent polls as he heads into a Dec. 6 runoff election against incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu, but conservative groups are taking no chances and have poured a half-million dollars into the race during its home stretch.
Conservative groups have spent $565,000 on issue ads in the last week, according the nonprofit Center For Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign funding. Liberal groups have spent $168,000 over the same period, less than a third of their counterparts’ expenditures.
Republicans are assured 53 seats in the upcoming Senate even if Landrieu manages an upset. Conservative groups have nevertheless long coveted the seat, which they believe can be easily held in GOP hands in future elections. Landrieu’s loss would leave Florida Sen. Bill Nelson as the last remaining senator from the deep south.
The top-spending conservative groups were: Americans For Prosperity ($162,000), which is affiliated with the Koch brothers; Ending Spending ($187,000), a group founded by T.D. Ameritrade owner Joe Rickets; and Women Speak Out ($192,000), a group affiliated with the Susan B. Anthony List, which opposes abortion.
The largest expenditure by a liberal group was the Humane Society Legislative Fund, which poured in $132,000 on Landrieu’s behalf. Second was the Service Employees International Union, which spent $28,000.
Overall, the amount spent by outside conservative and liberal groups over the course of the race has been much closer, though Cassidy has still benefited the most. The center reports that outside groups have spent $11.9 million against Landrieu, while friendly ones spent just over a half-million to boost her. Meanwhile, liberal groups spend $10.3 million against Cassidy and conservative groups spend $1.7 million to support him.
Cassidy’s own campaign is projected to spend $2 million during the runoff, the Washington Post reports, while Landrieu’s is on track to spent about $1.4 million.
RealClearPolitics gives Cassidy a lead of almost 17 points in its weighted average of recent polls. The most recent poll was on Nov. 20 though, so it is possible the race has shifted since then.
