Ringside Politics With A Punch

As of today, State Treasurer John Kennedy is the only announced Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate race this fall. The incumbent, Democrat U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, has been viewed by Republicans as vulnerable. In her Senate victories of 1996 and 2002, Landrieu won by slim margins. Since that time, the demographics of Louisiana have changed due to Hurricane Katrina, making the state more Republican friendly.
 
Can Kennedy beat Landrieu? If the election were held today, Landrieu would win, at least according to a new poll conducted by Bernie Pinsonat of Southern Media and Opinion Research. The poll finds Landrieu with a 70% approval rating and ahead of Kennedy by a comfortable margin of 50 to 38 percent.
 
Landrieu also leads in the important category of fundraising with a campaign war chest of approximately $4.5 million. Kennedy, who will benefit from an upcoming fundraiser headlined by President George W. Bush, has about $2 million in his campaign fund. 
 
In the upcoming race, Kennedy is considered a strong opponent, even though he switched to the GOP just recently, after being personally encouraged by former White House Political Director Karl Rove. Kennedy spent his political career as a Democrat and in the 2004 U.S. Senate race, he finished a disappointing third. During that campaign, Kennedy ran to the left of former Congressman Chris John and the eventual winner David Vitter. In that race, Kennedy was supported by Congressman Bill Jefferson and his political organization, the Progressive Democrats.
 
Kennedy’s Democratic background will be an issue in the U.S. Senate Republican primary this fall because he will be challenged from the right by conservative businessman Paul Hollis of Mandeville, who confirms that he will enter the race.
 
Hollis is a 36 years old first time candidate and is the son of former Louisiana State Senator Ken Hollis of Metairie. He has spent his career in the rare coin industry, getting his start with Blanchard and Company of New Orleans, one of the nation’s largest rare coin firms. Later, he hosted “The Coin Vault,” a nationally televised program that reached 60 million homes on the Shop at Home television network. Eventually, he started his own coin firm, specializing in ancient coins that circulated during the lifetime of Jesus Christ.
 
Hollis is a fiscal and social conservative who will run to the right of Kennedy on most of the major issues in the campaign. He will focus on his 18 year history in the Republican Party and contrast that with Kennedy’s recent conversion. He is prepared to personally invest in the campaign and says he has the ability to raise significant funds from his contacts across the state and country. He should make a formal announcement in the next few weeks, giving the Republicans an unexpected choice in the race for U.S. Senate. With Kennedy’s funding and party support he will be a strong favorite, but Hollis will make the race interesting and potentially competitive.