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U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is accustomed to close elections. In 1995, she lost the Governor’s race by a razor slim margin, almost making the run-off. The next year, she came back and was elected to the U.S. Senate in a disputed 5,000 vote victory over conservative broadcaster Woody Jenkins. In 2002, the GOP selected a more moderate opponent for Landrieu, then Elections Commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell, but Landrieu again prevailed 52-48 percent.

Now, Landrieu faces Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy in another close re-election battle. Polls show a tight race with Kennedy slightly behind or ahead, depending on the pollster.

What has complicated matters for Landrieu is that the population displacement from Hurricane Katrina has removed thousands of Democratic voters from the state. In this election, Landrieu must earn the votes of Independents and Republicans who have not cast a vote for her previously.

Can Landrieu make inroads with more moderate voters? As U.S. Senator, she has a well established track record as a moderate. She has crossed party lines on a variety of issues, including offshore drilling. Yet, John Kennedy is running to her right as a conservative Republican He may have his own problems since he has a history in the Democratic Party. Kennedy supported Kathleen Blanco for Governor in 2003, John Kerry for President in 2004 and ran for the U.S. Senate that year with the strong backing of U.S. Congressman Bill Jefferson (D-New Orleans). It is not surprising that Landrieu is hitting Kennedy as a “one confused politician.”

In response, Kennedy is emphasizing his fiscal conservatism. He launched his campaign with an effective spot showing him bring a brown bag lunch to work and touting the fact that he is so tight he “squeaks.”

The campaign has been replete with dueling press releases and charges and counter charges. Despite the nastiness of the race and the closeness of the polls, Landrieu has been more effective in securing endorsements. A big one happened last week when the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association voted to endorse Landrieu. According to Jiff Hingle, Sheriff of Plaquemines Parish and Mike Cazes, Sheriff of West Baton Rouge Parish, Landrieu “always stands by law enforcement. And now we are going to stand by her.”  When the Sheriff’s organization endorsed Landrieu in 2002, it was the first time the group had endorsed an elected official. According to Hingle and Cazes, “She didn’t let us down. That’s why we are proud to stand with her again.”

What is interesting is that Hingle is a Republican. He has become the latest GOP elected official to endorse the incumbent in this race. Hingle joins an expanding list of Republican officeholders supporting Landrieu. The list includes St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain and St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis.

This has to be troubling news to Kennedy, who will need a strong showing in GOP strongholds to win. One reason for the Landrieu endorsements is that these elected officials credit her for her performance post-Katrina and for fighting for federal funds that have proven to be crucial in the rebuilding period. Republican activists are not happy with the GOP endorsements for Landrieu. The St. Tammany Republican Parish Executive Committee considered a resolution condemning the Landrieu endorsements, but eventually it was defeated because several committee members were worried about offending the powerful elected officials.

Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com