The 2016 United States Senate election in Louisiana took place on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

to represent the

State of Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25th i ...

, concurrently with the

2016 U.S. presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and ...

, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

and various

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

and

local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

. Under Louisiana's "

jungle primary A nonpartisan primary, top-two primary, or jungle primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of political party. This distinguishes them from partisan primaries, w ...

" system, all candidates appeared on the same ballot, regardless of party, and voters could vote for any candidate. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote during the primary election, a runoff election was held December 10 between the top two candidates in the primary, Republican John Neely Kennedy and Democrat

Foster Campbell Foster Lonnie Campbell Jr. (born January 6, 1947) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party from the U.S. state of Louisiana. Since 2003, he has been a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He served in the Louis ...

, where Kennedy won with 60.65% of the vote, giving Senate Republicans 52 seats in the 115th Congress. Louisiana is the only state that has a jungle primary system (

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

have a similar "top two primary" system). Kennedy had previously unsuccessfully ran for this seat in 2004 as a Democrat and the state's other U.S. Senate seat in 2008 as a Republican. Incumbent Republican Senator

David Vitter David Bruce Vitter (born May 3, 1961) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Louisiana from 2005 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Vitter served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999 ...

unsuccessfully ran for

Governor of Louisiana The governor of Louisiana (; ) is the chief executive of the U.S. state government of Louisiana. The governor also serves as the commander in chief of the Louisiana National Guard. Republican Jeff Landry has held the office since January 8, ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, and in his concession speech he announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2016. In addition to Kennedy and Campbell, four other candidates — Republicans

Charles Boustany Charles William Boustany Jr. (; born February 21, 1956) is an American politician, physician, and former congressman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served as the U.S. representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2017 ( ...

, John Fleming, and

David Duke David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American politician, neo-Nazi, conspiracy theorist, and former grand wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992, he was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for the ...

, and Democrat Caroline Fayard — qualified to participate at a debate at

Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of C ...

, a historically black college, on November 2, 2016 This election is the most recent United States Senate runoff election in Louisiana as of 2024.

Candidates

Republican Party

Declared

, U.S. Representative * Donald "Crawdaddy" Crawford, business appraiser *

Joseph Cao Ánh Quang "Joseph" Cao ( ; ; born March 13, 1967) is a Vietnamese Americans, Vietnamese-American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United ...

, former U.S. Representative and candidate for Louisiana attorney general in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, former

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

, former

Grand Wizard The grand wizard (sometimes called the imperial wizard or national director) is the national leader of several different Ku Klux Klan organizations in the United States and abroad. The title "Grand Wizard" was used by the first Klan which was fo ...

of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

and

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost ...

* John Fleming, U.S. Representative * John Neely Kennedy, state treasurer, Democratic candidate for this seat in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and nominee for the U.S. Senate Class 2 in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

* Rob Maness, retired United States Air Force Colonel, and candidate for the U.S. Senate in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

* Charles Eugene Marsala, financial advisor and former mayor of

Atherton, California Atherton ( ) is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,823 as of July 2023 estimates. The town's zoning regulations permit only one single-family home per acre in new subdivisions, though smal ...

Withdrew

* Abhay Patel, businessman

Declined

Scott Angelle Scott Anthony Angelle (born November 20, 1961) is an American politician who served as the former director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement in Washington, D.C. From 2013 to 2017, he was the District 2 member of the Louisian ...

, Public Service Commissioner, former

Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana The lieutenant governor of Louisiana (; ) is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current lieutenant governor is Billy Nungesser, a Republican. The lieutenant governor is also the commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Cultur ...

, and candidate for governor in

( running for LA-03) *

Jay Dardenne John Leigh "Jay" Dardenne, Jr. (born February 6, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as commissioner of administration for Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards. A Republican, Dardenne previously se ...

, Louisiana Commissioner of Administration, former

and candidate for governor in

Melinda Schwegmann Melinda Burge Schwegmann (born October 25, 1946) is an American politician. In 1991, outspending incumbent Paul Hardy by almost two to one in total and being in a runoff with him with David Duke at the top of the Louisiana GOP ticket, she defea ...

, former lieutenant governor of Louisiana, former state representative, and candidate for governor in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

* Zach Dasher, pharmaceutical representative, cousin of the

Robertson family Duck Commander is an American hunting and outdoor recreation company in West Monroe, Louisiana. The company was founded by Phil Robertson, a American football, football quarterback at Louisiana Tech University, who developed and patented the com ...

and candidate for LA-05 in

* Brett Geymann, former state representative ( running for LA-03) *

Clay Higgins Glen Clay Higgins (born August 24, 1961) is an American politician and reserve law enforcement officer from the state of Louisiana. A Republican, Higgins is the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. The district, which ...

, former

St. Landry Parish St. Landry Parish () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 82,540. The parish seat is Opelousas. The parish was established in 1807. St. Landry Parish comprises the Opelousas, LA Micr ...

Sheriff's captain ( running for LA-03) *

Paul Hollis Paul Bryan Hollis (born September 1, 1972) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for the revised 104th District in St. Tammany Parish in southeastern Louisiana from 2012 to 2024. ...

, state representative and candidate for the U.S. Senate in

Bobby Jindal Piyush "Bobby" Jindal (born June 10, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 55th governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Republican Party, Jindal previously served as a U.S. representative from Louisiana from 2005 t ...

, former

Vance McAllister Vance Michael McAllister Sr. (born January 7, 1974) is an American businessman and Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th congressional district. He won a special runoff election held on Nov ...

, former U.S. representative and candidate for the state senate in 2015 * Tony Perkins, president of the

Family Research Council The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical 501(c)(3) non-profit activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against access ...

, former state representative and candidate for the U.S. Senate in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

* Eric Skrmetta, Public Service Commissioner *

, incumbent U.S. Senator and nominee for governor in

* John Young, former president of

Jefferson Parish Jefferson Parish () is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 440,781. Its parish seat is Gretna, its largest community is Metairie, and its largest incorporated city is Kenner. Jefferson Parish i ...

and candidate for lieutenant governor in

Democratic Party

Declared

, Public Service Commissioner, former

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

, candidate for governor in

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

and for LA-04 in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

and

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

* Derrick Edwards, attorney and disability rights activist * Caroline Fayard, attorney and candidate for lieutenant governor in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

* Gary Landrieu, building contractor, candidate for the

New Orleans City Council The New Orleans City Council is the legislative branch of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1954 through a home rule charter, it replaced the city’s previous commission form of government created under the 1912 C ...

in 2012, candidate for LA-02 in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

and cousin of former U.S. Senator

Mary Landrieu Mary Loretta Landrieu ( ; born November 23, 1955) is an American entrepreneur and politician who served as a United States senator from Louisiana from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Landrieu served as the Louisiana State Treasu ...

and

New Orleans Mayor The post of Mayor of the City of New Orleans () has been held by the following individuals since New Orleans came under United States, American administration following the Louisiana Purchase — the 1803 acquisition by the U.S. of of the Frenc ...

Mitch Landrieu Mitchell Joseph Landrieu ( ; born August 16, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician who served as Mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 2004 t ...

* Vinny Mendoza, USAF Ret. Veteran, organic farmer and 1st CD candidate in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, * Josh Pellerin, businessman * Peter Williams, tree farmer, candidate for LA-06 in

and Independent candidate for LA-05 in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Declined

* Jim Bernhard, president of Bernhard Capital Partners, founder and former CEO of

The Shaw Group The Shaw Group is a pipe and steel fabrication firm specializing in induction bending. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Shaw employs approximately 1,400 people across its offices and operations in North America and the Middle East. History ...

and former chairman of the

Louisiana Democratic Party The Louisiana Democratic Party (, ) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Louisiana. Dominated by the conservative planter elite through much of the 19th century, the party was historically prominent in politics since before t ...

* Don Cazayoux, former U.S. Representative and former

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Middle District of Louisiana *

John Georges John Georges () (born October 16, 1960) is an American businessman from New Orleans, who owns Louisiana's two largest newspapers and online news sites. He formerly served on the Louisiana Board of Regents, the body which supervises higher educa ...

, businessman, candidate for governor in

and candidate for Mayor of New Orleans in

Kip Holden Melvin Lee "Kip" Holden (August 12, 1952 – May 14, 2025) was an American politician who served from 2005 to 2016 as the Democratic Mayor-President of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The parish includes the state capital of ...

, Mayor-President of

East Baton Rouge Parish East Baton Rouge Parish (; ) is the most populous List of parishes in Louisiana, parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its population was 456,781 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat, parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louis ...

and candidate for lieutenant governor in

( running for LA-02) *

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

, state representative and candidate for LA-05 in

Eric LaFleur Eric LaFleur (born March 28, 1964, in Ville Platte, Louisiana) is an American attorney and politician. A Democrat, LaFleur is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate for the 28th district, serving from 2008 until 2020. Earlier he was a ...

, state senator *

, former U.S. Senator *

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and former

Charlie Melancon Charlie may refer to: Film and television * ''Charlie'' (2015 Malayalam film), an Indian Malayalam-language film * ''Charlie'' (2015 Kannada film), an Indian Kannada-language film * ''Charlie'' (TV series), a 2015 political drama series based ...

, former U.S. Representative and nominee in

* Jacques Roy, Mayor of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Gary Smith, Jr. Gary L. Smith Jr. (born August 27, 1972), is an American attorney from his native Norco in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, who is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate for District 19, a position which he held from 2012 to 20 ...

, state senator

Libertarian Party

Declared

* Thomas Clements, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in

(also

ran RAN may refer to: * Radio access network, a part of a mobile telecommunication system * Rainforest Action Network * Ran (gene) (RAs-related Nuclear protein), also known as GTP-binding nuclear protein Ran, a protein that in humans is encoded by t ...

for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

) * Le Roy Gillam, minister

Independents

Declared

* Beryl Billiot,

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

and candidate for governor in

Troy Hebert Troy Michael Hebert (born April 19, 1966) is a politician from Jeanerette, Louisiana, Jeanerette, Louisiana, currently serving as the who is the former commissioner of the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC). Hebert was appoint ...

, former commissioner of the

Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control The Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is a Louisiana state government agency that regulates the alcoholic beverage and tobacco industries. The Office places emphasis on combating underage purchasing and drinking of alcohol and tobacco. The cu ...

and former state senator * Bob Lang, candidate for the U.S. Senate in

and candidate for governor in

* Kaitlin Marone,

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

* Gregory Taylor, unemployed janitor * Arden Wells, perennial candidate

Jungle primary

Debates

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Maps

File:2016 LA US Senate primary (Boustany).svg, Support for Boustany by parish:
File:2016 LA US Senate primary (Campbell).svg, Support for Campbell by parish:
File:2016 LA US Senate primary (Duke).svg, Support for Duke by parish:
File:2016 LA US Senate primary (Edwards).svg, Support for Edwards by parish:
File:2016 LA US Senate primary (Fayard).svg, Support for Fayard by parish:
File:2016 LA US Senate primary (Fleming).svg, Support for Fleming by parish:
File:2016 LA US Senate primary (Kennedy).svg, Support for Kennedy by parish:
File:2016 LA US Senate primary (Maness).svg, Support for Maness by parish:

Runoff

Polling

Predictions

Results

Parishes that flipped from Republican to Democratic

East Baton Rouge East Baton Rouge Parish (; ) is the most populous parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its population was 456,781 at the 2020 census. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. East Baton Rouge Parish is located within the G ...

(Largest city:

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

) * East Carroll (Largest city:

Lake Providence A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

) *

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

(Largest city: Pierrer Part) *

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

(Largest town: Tallulah)

Parishes that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Pointe Coupee Pointe Coupee Parish ( or ; ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,758. The parish seat is New Roads. Pointe Coupee Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Metropolitan Stati ...

(Largest city:

New Roads New Roads (historically ) is a city in and the parish seat of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The center of population of Louisiana was located in New Roads in 2000. The population was 4,831 at the 2010 census, down from 4,966 i ...

)

By congressional district

Kennedy won five of six congressional districts.

References

Additional candidates

External links

John Kennedy (R) for Senate

Foster Campbell (D) for Senate
{{2016 United States elections

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

David Duke