Are two Democratic senators too many for Louisiana?
by Stephanie Grace - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Two years ago, when Republican Treasurer John Kennedy tried to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, his hopes hinged on the answer to a single question: Could Kennedy convince voters that Louisiana would be better off with two senators in the minority party, rather than one who had the advantages of the being in the majority? In Landrieu's case, those advantages included a spot on the powerful Appropriations Committee and a subcommittee chairmanship overseeing disaster recovery. The voters' collective answer to that question turned out to be "no." This fall, the man hoping to unseat the state's other senator also faces one key question. Can Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon persuade enough people in right-leaning Louisiana that the state needs two Democrats in the Senate, not one from each party? This when polls show most voters oppose the agenda of the Democratic congressional leadership and President Barack Obama? If that sounds like a tall order, a recent poll backs that up. Although Melancon's been a candidate for six months now, Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter maintains a daunting lead, 57 percent to 33 percent in a recent Rasmussen survey of 500 voters. The same poll gave Obama only a 37 percent approval rating in the state.