President Obama and Gov. Bobby Jindal took a beating last night from Louisiana’s three leading U.S. Senate candidates.
At their first debate, incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu, Republican challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy and Rob Maness, a retired Air Force veteran also running as a Republican, squared off over health care, Social Security and climate change.
The legalization of medicinal marijuana became a hot topic, with Cassidy surprising some by expressing his support. “Medicinal purposes? Yes,” he said.
The other candidates both took a hard stand against it.
>>> This Democrat Was Asked if She Voted for Obama. She Refused to Answer.
But it was the lightening round—when Cassidy, Maness and Landrieu were asked to rank the performances of Obama and Jindal—that really roused the audience at Centenary College in Shreveport.
After first refusing to answer, Cassidy delivered a blunt assessment of the president.
“Obama is a zero,” he said.
Maness also rated Obama a zero. Landrieu gave him a “six or seven.”
“I think he has had some tough issues to deal with,” she said.
>>> Policy Aside, These Senate Hopefuls Get Personal
Jindal didn’t fare particularly well with any of the candidates. Cassidy rated him a seven, Maness a five and Landrieu a three.
Real Clear Politics currently judges the Louisiana Senate race a toss-up between Landrieu and Cassidy—with the challenger maintaining a slight lead.
If neither Landrieu nor Cassidy secure above 50 percent of the vote in the Nov. 4 election—a real possibility given Maness’s endorsements by some conservative groups—the Louisiana race will extend into December for a runoff between the two top vote getters.
If Republicans net only five other seats in Senate races across the nation, the Louisiana race could tip the balance of power in favor of the GOP.
