LRN AM Newscall November 5

Louisiana voters approved seven of the ten constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot. Kace Kieschnick reports the amendments that passed were generally easier for voters to understand.

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Two U.S. House races in Louisiana are headed to runoffs, including the one in District 5. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Jamie Davis’s strong showing in the U.S. Senate race has given the Democratic Party hope they can make a comeback in Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has more.

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Louisiana voters approved seven of the ten constitutional amendments on the ballot Tuesday. Public Affairs Research Council president Steven Procopio says the amendments that were more straightforward were the ones that received approval.

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Procopio says amendments that had confusing wording did not succeed.

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Procopio says it appears the voters did their homework on the amendments, as there was not a drop off in the number of people who voted on Amendment One compared to Amendment Ten.

Cut 6 (07) “…what they knew.”

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Bill Cassidy now knows that Julia Letlow will be succeeding him in the U.S. Senate come January 3rd. Letlow’s win was one of the few bright spots for a Republican party that suffered huge losses Tuesday night. Cassidy says this election was a referendum on President Trump.

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Even Letlow’s win fell short of Republican expectations – even though the race was considered a “safe” race by nearly every political forecaster, Letlow only beat previously-unknown Jamie Davis by two points. Cassidy says even though they didn’t alter the expected outcome, voters let their displeasure known loud and clear.

Cut 8 (09) “…registering their protest.”

Letlow’s narrow margin of victory could have an effect on next year’s legislative election, when Governor Landry and the entire legislature appear before voters. Cassidy says as such, it will set the tone for next year’s legislative session.

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It’s Republican-versus-Democrat in the two U.S. House runoffs in Louisiana. In District Five, Democrat Pat Moore will face Republican Gabe Firment. Moore was the leading vote-getter in the nine-candidate race with just 18-percent of the vote.

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Firment was just behind at 17-percent; and while he’s favored to win the runoff, he says he’s taking nothing for granted.

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Overall, Republicans got 63-percent of the vote, compared to 37-percent for the Democrats. Firment says in the course of reaching out to voters in the Fifth District, he will especially focus on those who voted for Republicans other than himself.

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Moore says Firment bills himself as the most conservative Republican in the state House; and given what happened on Tuesday, that might not be the best selling point in the long run.

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Democrat Jamie Davis’ strong showing in the U.S. Senate race could give his party momentum heading into next year’s state elections. Governor Jeff Landry and every other statewide elected official will be on the ballot, along with all seats in the state legislature. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says Davis receiving 49-percent of the vote gives Democrats reason to believe they can compete for statewide offices and pick up legislative seats.

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Republicans currently hold every statewide elected office and have supermajorities in both the Louisiana House and Senate. But Pinsonat says Tuesday’s results show some voters who supported President Trump in 2024 were willing to cross party lines and vote for Davis.

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Pinsonat says the results should serve as a wake-up call for Republican leaders who have controlled state government for years.

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Louisiana Tech has now won five straight after a 35-20 win over South Alabama, and it will bring that momentum to Troy this weekend. The Bulldogs battled back from a slow start in Mobile, and coach Sonny Cumbie says the resilience of his Bulldogs has really stood out this season, but he’d like a more killer mentality.

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One of the best examples of Tech’s resilience is quarterback Blake Baker. Baker returned from a torn ACL last season and fractured his throwing hand this year, but he has been one of the Sun Belt’s top passers, throwing for over 13-hundred yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception. He says he’s battled adversity his whole career.

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Kickoff in Troy is at 3 p.m.

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LSU got one of its biggest offensive weapons back just in time for the most crucial stretch of the season. Tight end Trey’Dez Green had 50 yards and a touchdown in his return against Auburn, and he could make an even bigger impact as LSU hosts Alabama this weekend. Green says he knew he would be back like he never left.

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Green was LSU’s top receiver before he suffered a knee injury against Ole Miss. After two years as one of the most lethal red zone threats LSU has ever seen, Green expanded his role in the offense to make plays all across the field. One of the improvements he says he made was as a physical runner after the catch.

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Kickoff in Tiger Stadium is at 2:30.