BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The latest on elections in which Louisiana voters are making their choice for governor and other statewide races (all times local):
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11:04 p.m.
Republican Billy Nungesser and Democrat Kip Holden will face off in the Nov. 21 runoff election for lieutenant governor.
The two men were the top vote-getters in Saturday’s election.
Holden, the mayor of Baton Rouge, has spent a small amount of money so far to campaign. Nungesser, former president of Plaquemines Parish, slugged it out in a high-spending primary competition against fellow Republican John Young, president of Jefferson Parish. Young came in third.
Campaigns for Nungesser and Young each spent at least $2 million on the race.
Also on the ballot was Republican state Sen. Elbert Guillory of Opelousas. The job was wide open because its current occupant, Jay Dardenne, ran for governor instead.
The lieutenant governor serves as the figurehead for the state’s $11 billion tourism industry.
10:56 p.m.
Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is returning for another four-year term.
Donelon, a Republican from Metairie, sailed to re-election Saturday, defeating three challengers without needing a runoff.
His challengers included: Donald Hodge Jr., a Democrat and lawyer from Baton Rouge who ran unsuccessfully against Donelon four years ago; Charlotte McDaniel McGehee, a Democrat and lawyer from Prairieville; and Matt Parker, a Republican from Calhoun who owns a car repair business.
They raised less money than Donelon had amassed to compete in advertising. Opponents criticized Donelon for receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from insurance companies.
A former lawmaker, Donelon has been insurance commissioner since 2006. He said he’s increased competition and stabilized an insurance market that had been ravaged by hurricanes.
10:52
Democrat Kip Holden is advancing to the Nov. 21 runoff election for lieutenant governor. Which Republican contender he’ll face remains unclear.
Holden, the mayor of Baton Rouge and the lone Democrat in the race, was the top vote-getter in Saturday’s election.
The second spot in the runoff will belong to either John Young, president of Jefferson Parish, or Billy Nungesser, former president of Plaquemines Parish.
Young and Nungesser battled each other in a high-spending primary competition that largely focused on trading attacks in the final days ahead of the election.
Also on the ballot was Republican state Sen. Elbert Guillory of Opelousas. The job was wide open because its current occupant, Jay Dardenne, ran for governor instead.
The lieutenant governor leads Louisiana’s Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
9:53 p.m.
Republican Attorney General Buddy Caldwell will face GOP former Congressman Jeff Landry in a November runoff to determine who will fill the next term as Louisiana’s chief lawyer.
Caldwell and Landry were the top two vote-getters in Saturday’s election and will head to the Nov. 21 ballot.
Landry received the endorsement of the state Republican Party, while Caldwell touted the backing of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association.
The campaign was attack-heavy, with Landry accusing Caldwell of corruption in his handling of legal contracts and Caldwell describing Landry as a failed politician with no credentials to be attorney general.
Also in the race were: Port Allen lawyer Marty Maley, a Republican, and Democrats Geri Broussard Baloney of Garyville and Ike Jackson of Plaquemine. Baloney received the backing of the state Democratic Party.
9:45 p.m.
Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain is getting a third term in office.
Strain, a Republican veterinarian from Covington, easily defeated three opponents Saturday who had raised little to no money to challenge his re-election bid.
A former state lawmaker, Strain touted his management of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, paying down debt and coping with hefty budget cuts that have forced staff and spending reductions.
His challengers were Charlie Greer, a Democrat and retired agriculture department employee; Adrian “Ace” Juttner, a Green Party candidate from Abita Springs; and Jamie LaBranche, a Republican horticulturist from LaPlace who ran unsuccessfully against Strain four years ago as a Democrat.
Strain has been agriculture commissioner since 2008.
9:38 p.m.
Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter has survived challenges from two GOP rivals to reach a November runoff in the Louisiana governor’s race. He’ll face Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards on the Nov. 21 ballot.
Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, both Republicans, split the anti-Vitter vote in Saturday’s election, allowing Vitter to secure a spot on the runoff ballot.
Months ago, Vitter was atop the polls, flush with millions in campaign cash and running like an incumbent.
But amid continued talk of his 2007 prostitution scandal, Vitter’s poll numbers fell and his negatives spiked among voters. That raised questions about whether one of his opponents could squeak by him.
Vitter, however, maintained a strong conservative base that carried him into the runoff.
9:04 p.m.
Secretary of State Tom Schedler will keep his job as Louisiana’s chief elections official for another four years.
The Republican from Mandeville fended off a challenge Saturday from Democrat Chris Tyson, a Baton Rouge law professor, to win a second term.
Schedler’s held the job since 2010, first as an appointee and then elected a year later.
In his campaign, Schedler touted his years of experience, streamlining of the elections calendar and management of the office through budget cuts.
Tyson said he’d seek to modernize the office and provide more ways and opportunities for people to vote, saying Schedler had wasted taxpayer money in a legal challenge over voter sign-up methods.
In addition to elections, the secretary of state oversees the archiving of state records and business registrations and incorporations.
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8:59
Democrat John Bel Edwards has secured a spot in the Nov. 21 runoff to decide who will be Louisiana’s next governor.
With a base of Democratic Party support, Edwards easily advanced Saturday to the two-man race to decide who will follow term-limited Gov. Bobby Jindal into office. Edwards, a state representative, was the lone major Democratic candidate on the ballot.
Nine candidates for governor are in the race, but the race comes down to four major contenders: Edwards, Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter.
While his three GOP opponents struck at each other, Edwards saved most of his criticism for Jindal, who Edwards blamed for cratering the state’s finances. Edwards said his rivals each represent a Jindal third term.
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8:27 p.m.
Treasurer John Kennedy has sailed to another term as Louisiana’s top money manager and investment official.
Kennedy, a Republican from Madisonville, overwhelmingly defeated his lone opponent, Republican lawyer Jennifer Treadway, who raised and spent little money while Kennedy poured $1 million into TV advertising.
Saturday’s win will send Kennedy to his fifth term in office. It was the first time he faced a challenger since initially running for the job 16 years ago. Kennedy is currently Louisiana’s longest-serving statewide elected official.
In recent years, he’s been an outspoken critic of Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s financial policies. But Treadway criticized Kennedy as doing too little to create roadblocks for Jindal’s budgeting maneuvers.
Before being elected treasurer, Kennedy was a state revenue secretary and special counsel to former Gov. Buddy Roemer.
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4:30 p.m.
Rain in parts of the state may be affecting turnout as Louisiana voters make their choices for governor, lieutenant governor, other statewide posts and, in many areas, the Legislature.
Meg Casper, a spokeswoman for the Secretary of State’s Office says turnout has been light to steady, depending on the weather. A handful of precincts reported power outages but continued working on batteries or generators with no interruptions.
Voters were to whittle down the list of nine candidates to succeed term-limited Gov. Bobby Jindal. Four major candidates were seen as having a shot at making a Nov. 21 runoff: Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and Sen. David Vitter, all Republicans; and Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards.
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