T-minus 40 days and counting till the fall election, and the airwaves are starting to fill with ads.
“Folks, this country was founded by geniuses, but sometimes I think it’s being run by idiots,” John Kennedy says in his latest ad.
While a super PAC supporting Rob Maness states, “We don’t need another politician. We need Rob Maness.”
The good news is -- most of the 24 candidates on the ballot don’t have the funding to run ads. But this is a jungle primary, and those with campaign dollars to spend seem to want to keep the fight within their own party. Democrats Caroline Fayard and Foster Campbell have been sending out press releases sniping at each other, and their ads point up their gender differences, at least.
“As the only woman running, we know Caroline Fayard will fight for equal pay.”
“Louisiana needs a Senator who makes sense. And I’m that man,” Campbell says in his TV promo.
The newest ad from Republican John Fleming sums up the public bickering among the top GOP contenders.
“It’s like a junior high food fight. First Boustany attacks Kennedy, then Kennedy attacks Boustany. John Fleming is fighting the real enemy – Obama and Clinton.”
What do the polls show? Two weeks ago, a poll by Southern Media and Opinion Research had Kennedy 17%
Boustany 15%
Fayard 11%
Campbell 9%
Fleming 8%
and more than 26 percent undecided.
Last week, JMC Analytics – in a poll commissioned by Fleming – showed
Boustany 15%
Campbell 15%
Fleming 14%
Fayard 12%
Kennedy 11%
25 percent said they were undecided.
With two debates for the candidates next week – one on Sunday night, the other on Thursday evening -- perhaps true differences on the issues will finally begin to emerge.