Democrat Mary Landrieu Holds Off Strong GOP Challenge
Update: First-term Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu won re-election Saturday in a closely fought runoff battle with Republican Elections Commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell.

National Republican leaders had targeted Landrieu for defeat after the freshman senator failed to garner the 50 percent to win the seat outright on Nov. 5. President Bush, Vice President Cheney and former President Bush all visited Louisiana in the final days of the campaign. (12/07)

Race Remains Statistically Tied as Louisianans Head to the Polls
Update: Both candidates contending for a Louisiana U.S. Senate seat campaigned hard on Friday, continuing to argue over hot-button issues and attempting to gain the advantage in a race that recent polls have indicated is a dead heat. (12/06)

RealAudio: Kwame Holman reports on the policies and politics playing out in the Bayou State ahead of Saturday's final electoral showdown. (12/06)

Landrieu and Terrell in a Dead Heat
Update: President Bush hit the campaign trail on Tuesday for the final time this election cycle in hopes of bolstering the campaign of Suzanne Terrell, the Republican challenger in the U.S. Senate race in Louisiana. (12/03)

Landrieu - Terrell Debate
Video: A forum with incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu and challenger Suzanne Haik Terrell. The debate originally aired on Tuesday November 26 from 7:00-8:00 PM CST.
-- From Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Money Pours in to the Final Race of the 2002 Election
Update: As national advisers and money pour into the Bayou State, freshman Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and Republican Commissioner of Elections Suzanne Haik Terrell have been pounding each other on television and in heated debates ahead of their Dec. 7 runoff. (11/26)

Candidate Interviews
RealVideo: Sen. Mary Landrieu
RealVideo: Elections Commissioner Suzanne Terrell
-- From Louisiana Public Broadcasting (Mid Nov.)

Cooksey, Perkins Eliminated from Runoff
The Nov. 5 election did narrow the field of candidates to two from an original nine, including two Republicans considered the other serious contenders.
Profile: U.S. Rep. John Cooksey
Profile: State Rep. Tony Perkins

Republicans Bet on a Risky Strategy to Oust Freshman Senator
Update: If there is a national story in Tuesday's election, it is the battle by both parties to take control of Congress. But like the 2000 presidential election, it appears the final chapter in the Senate may not be written until weeks after Election Day.

The potential delay in knowing who will represent the Bayou State stems from a uniquely Louisiana law. On Nov. 5, residents will vote in an open primary from a crowded slate of nine candidates. If no one receives a majority of the ballots cast, the top two vote-getters will square off in a Dec. 7 runoff. (11/03)

Election 2002: Power and Politics
In this special broadcast, Louisiana Public Broadcasting's The State We're In program takes an hour-long look at the issues and personalities that are fueling the state's crowded and confusing Senate race.

The report also examines how the race is shaped by a particular state law that requires the candidate to obtain a clear majority or face a runoff election in December. The GOP is fielding three major candidates in the hopes of forcing Sen. Landrieu into such a special election.
-- From Louisiana Public Broadcasting (Mid Oct.)

State Profile
Louisiana is a state driven by its diverse cultural past and its uncertain economic present. A state dominated by the Cajun culture and later the boom-time politics of gas and oil production, Louisiana developed a bit of a political split personality.

On the one hand, it, along with Utah, has the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation. On the other, it is known for the debauchery of the French Quarter in New Orleans and its politics has been dotted with scandal and, at times, widespread corruption.