Results in Louisiana's Senate Race Took Kennedy's 'Breath Away'

Leah Barkoukis | November 09, 2022 5:00 AM

Sen. John Kennedy emerged victorious on Tuesday in what was technically a primary election for Louisiana. The state uses a jungle primary system whereby candidates from all parties compete against each other. Since Kennedy far surpassed the 50 percent threshold, no runoff election will be necessary.

“These numbers take my breathe away,” he said of the results.

The Trump-backed Republican bested 12 opponents, including Democrat Luke Mixon, a commercial airline pilot, and activist Gary Chambers Jr., who made headlines this campaign for smoking a joint during an ad.

In a solidly red state that voted for former President Trump in 2020 by approximately 20 percentage points, Kennedy’s win is no surprise.

The senator, who was first elected in 2016, amassed a stunning war chest during the campaign, bringing in over $37.5 million, according to OpenSecrets. As of mid-October, he had $13.6 million cash on hand after having spent $25.2 million. According to the Associated Press, his fundraising totals were “10 times as much as his Democratic challengers combined.”

He struck an optimistic tone Tuesday evening in his victory speech, telling his supporters he believes "the future of Louisiana, and the future of America, can be better than our present and our past."