Most prognosticators have backed away from considering Mary Landrieu's senate seat to be vulnerable next month but two recent developments serve as able indicators that this race is indeed over.
For a little background, I'll just remind everyone that Mary Landrieu has had a distinct fund raising advantage throughout the entire campaign. She has accumulated a moderate Senate record that resonates well in conservative Louisiana and has brought home a ton of bacon.
Her opponent, State Treasurer John Neely Kennedy, was convinced to switch parties from D to R after receiving a visit from Karl Rove when the state GOP failed to recruit a viable candidate. Kennedy ran for the Senate against Vitter in 2004 as the liberal choice on the Democratic side. He has not been able to raise any money and his campaign events throughout the summer have drawn comically small crowds.
As a result of Kennedy's anemic campaign efforts and Landrieu's consistent messaging, the poll numbers have reflected a fairly noncompetitive race for the last few months.
Landrieu's influential position in the Senate and her record of forcing the Democratic leadership to attend to the needs of Louisiana in exchange for her loyalty has caused many popular GOP elected officials throughout the state to buck their party to endorse her.
Now, the state GOP has inexplicably threatened to retaliate against those who have rejected the Kennedy ticket when the reality is that the state GOP settled on Kennedy as a last resort.
And, during the Senate debate last night, Kennedy alternated between prickly and uncharismatic while Landrieu racked up points.
Here's a blogger recap of the debate.
And here's an exploration of the stupidity of the state GOP's retaliation threat.