Sen. Mary Landrieu is trailing her Republican challenger among likely voters in a head-to-head contest in one of the tightest races in the nation, and one that could help decide whether Republicans take control of the Senate, according to a new poll.
The CNN/ORC poll, taken Sept. 22-25, asks two questions: Who is favored in the general election of all candidates, and who is favored if no candidate gets a majority of the vote and a runoff is required under Louisiana’s unique rules?
Landrieu leads, both among likely and registered voters, in the general campaign. She has a three-percentage-point lead over Republican challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy among likely voters, 43-40, and a 10-point lead among registered voters, 45-35, according to the poll.
But unless Landrieu wins outright in the general, she will be forced into a two-way contest.
Cassidy leads 50-47 in a two-way matchup among likely voters, according to the poll.
Landrieu still holds a lead among all registered voters, 51-45.
The survey of 1,013 potential voters has an overall sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points, with slightly different margins of 3.5 percentage points for registered voters and 4 points for likely voters.
Nine candidates are competing in the open November general election, including Republicans, Democrats and a Libertarian, under Louisiana’s quirky voting rules. If no candidate gets more than half the votes, the top two contenders vie in the December runoff.
