Democrat clings to slim lead in last Senate race of 2002

NEW ORLEANS -- Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu opened a slim lead over Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell in a runoff Saturday, raising her party's hopes of keeping the GOP Senate majority at 51 seats.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Landrieu had 593,631 votes, or 51 percent, and Terrell had 576,878 votes, or 49 percent.

As expected, Terrell was leading in the Republican strongholds of Baton Rouge and the New Orleans suburbs, while Landrieu was ahead in the urban areas of New Orleans and Shreveport.

The GOP failed to hold on to a U.S. House seat: With all precincts reporting, Democrat Rodney Alexander had 85,720 votes and Republican Lee Fletcher had 85,202 votes -- a difference of just 518 votes in the conservative district.

The two men spent weeks swapping bitter accusations and attack ads as they sought the seat Republican Rep. John Cooksey gave up to run for Senate. There was no immediate word from Fletcher on whether he would seek a recount.

The Senate campaign was also nasty and it featured a flood of appearances by Republican bigwigs, including President Bush just last week.

Secretary of State Fox McKeithen said he expected turnout to be 45 percent -- low by Louisiana standards. Voters seemed dismayed by the sharp salvos between the two New Orleans women who share the same views on most political issues.

Tom Loesch, a Democrat from New Orleans, said he was "saddened to have to choose between two Republicans, one of them in a Democrat's clothing." He said he had to support Landrieu because he "didn't want to give Bush anything else."

Terrell, 48, came out of nowhere three years ago to become the first Republican woman to win statewide office, as elections commissioner. Trying to become the first Republican senator here since Reconstruction, she cast herself as a loyal ally of the president.

Landrieu, 46, has been in politics all her life. The daughter of former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, she won her first term six years ago with a 6,000-vote squeaker, prompting her to joke that she was no "Landslide Landrieu."

Landrieu tried to keep her centrist image this time around, relying on fellow Democratic Sen. John Breaux but no party big-hitters like former President Clinton. Her opponent outraised her late in the campaign.

While the rest of the nation decided its congressional elections Nov. 5, Louisiana held a unique open primary where candidates from both sides run. Landrieu failed to get the simple majority needed for outright victory and wound up in the runoff with second-place finisher Terrell.

Republicans held 51 seats in the Senate after the November elections and took aim at this race for the icing on the cake. In addition to bragging rights, an additional GOP seat would be ammunition in the fight to get more committee seats. And it would provide a cushion in case a Republican senator left office and was replaced by a Democrat.

Landrieu was caught in a bind during the campaign, since Bush carried the state in 2000. Her primary campaign ads boasted that she had voted with the president 74 percent of the time but not on issues that were harmful to Louisiana.

That strategy kept black voters at home in large numbers on primary day and black leaders complained that Landrieu sounded like a Republican. For the runoff, Landrieu fired her strategists and launched a more aggressive attack in a bid to appear more independent.

Terrell's message changed from a primary campaign that said the president needed control of the Senate to one that stressed that Louisiana "has one good senator but needs one in the majority party to get more done for the state." It was a reference to Breaux, who is as popular in Louisiana as the president. Bush even praised Breaux when he campaigned for Terrell.

Loyalty to Bush became a major issue, with both candidates not far apart on issues such as Social Security, Medicare, prescription drugs for the elderly and homeland defense. Both support Bush's stand on Iraq.

The glaring difference between the two Roman Catholics was abortion: Landrieu supports abortion rights and Terrell is anti-abortion.

In the House race, Fletcher, 36, and Alexander, 55, both touted themselves as conservative businessmen best suited to take the seat Cooksey held for three terms. Fletcher is the congressman's former chief of staff.