Davis and Letlow press for turnout as Louisiana Senate race reaches Election Day

Louisiana’s U.S. Senate candidates entered the final stretch of the Nov. 3 election with efforts to bring supporters to the polls. On Monday, Julia Letlow’s and Jamie Davis’ campaigns said the candidates were continuing their outreach, with Davis making stops across Northeast Louisiana and Letlow’s campaign emphasizing voter turnout following months of travel throughout the state.

More than 530,000 people voted early, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office. That total included nearly 226,000 Democrats and more than 208,000 Republicans. The office also raised its Election Day turnout forecast to 52%, as the campaigns worked to translate their support into ballots.

Fox 8 political analyst Mike Sherman said participation would determine the outcome of the race. “This is an election that very clearly is all about turnout,” he said. With the final polls completed, Sherman said the remaining question was which voters would still have the energy to go out and vote.

Sherman described the continued attention on the Senate contest as unusual for a state as conservative as Louisiana. He attributed that situation to what he characterized as Democratic momentum during early voting. Despite the early voting figures, analysts cautioned that neither candidate should assume a comfortable position heading into Election Day.

Davis’ campaign said his Monday schedule included five stops in Northeast Louisiana. It described an itinerary featuring breakfast in Winnsboro, a final rally in Monroe, a meet-and-greet in West Monroe and a visit to Union Parish. The campaign said Davis was continuing to meet residents in communities where others had discouraged him from campaigning.

According to his campaign, Davis was sharing proposals focused on reducing bills and insurance costs, protecting healthcare and hospitals, and ending corruption in Washington. The statement presented the final day’s outreach as a continuation of the campaign’s belief that candidates should visit communities even where winning support may be difficult.

Letlow’s campaign said the congresswoman had visited all 64 Louisiana parishes over the preceding several months to meet voters and seek their backing. Its closing message urged Louisianans to vote Tuesday, arguing that freedoms were at stake and warning against Democrats’ agenda.

The latest federal campaign finance reports showed Letlow had raised $7 million, compared with Davis’ $5 million. Sherman said the flow of national money was notable: while Republicans were defending traditionally Republican states, Letlow had not received the influx of national funding that Davis had.