Stay tuned as we liveblog the election returns. Please feel free to add your own comments as the results roll in. We hope to update every fifteen minutes or so.
According to the Louisiana Secretary of State, voting for statewide races is as follows (3942/3967 precincts, 11:32 PM):
Governor: Boasso (%), Campbell (13%), Georges (14%), Jindal (54%)
Lt. Governor: Beard (11%), Landrieu (56%), Kershaw (30%)
Secretary of State: Wooley (31%), Dardenne (63%)
Attorney General: Foti (32%), Caldwell (36%), Alexander (32%)*
Commissioner of Agriculture: Odom (42%), Strain (40%), Carter (13%)
Commissioner of Insurance: Donelon (51%), Crowley (36%)
CenLa races (10:40 PM; all precincts in):
Senate District 28 (149/149 Precincts): Belt (20%), LaFleur (49%), Newton (31%)
Senate District 29 (90/90 Precincts): Guillory (31%), McPherson (69%)
House District 25 (40/40 Precincts): Maxwell (41%), Beard (24%), Roy (35%)
House District 26 (32/32 Precincts): Dixon (50%), Kirk (10%), Sanders (28%), Wardsworth (11%)
House District 27 (36/36 Precincts): Farrar (38%), Hazel (62%)
Rapides Sheriff (103/103): Robinson (16%), Slocum (48%), Tanner (3%), Wagner (33%)
Remember, these are early voting and absentee numbers, which represent a snapshot of the race from two weeks ago. Our feeling is that these numbers may be skewed Republican, due to Jindal’s push to turn out early voters in order to account for the LSU game and the beginning of hunting season. Demographically, older suburban voters tend to vote earlier.
Update (8:49): With real precincts now coming in, we’re seeing the numbers for Jindal and other Republicans begin to fall. Keep an eye on the Attorney General’s race, which is at a three-way statistical dead heat at the moment.
Update (9:11): Dardenne’s website is terrible. We’re being redirected to different parishes when we try to refresh for multi-parish races. We know the series of tubes is overloaded at the moment, but this should underscore the reason that our current broadband infrastructure is incapable of meeting digital demands for the next decade.
Update (10:07): It appears that all 32 precincts for the 26th House District is in, and Herbert Dixon has won it outright with 50% of the vote. Congratulations, Herb. Chris Roy, Jr. and Lance Maxwell will be in a runoff for the 25th House District.
Update (10:18): With all precincts in, it appears Senate District 28 candidate Eric LaFleur didn’t quite get the numbers to avoid a runoff with Donald Newton. He looks in great shape, however. With only two precincts out, we can safely say that Joe McPherson will hang onto his Senate seat in District 29.
Update (10:24): There will indeed be a runoff for Rapides Parish Sheriff between Chuck Wagner and Slocum, and KALB is reporting that Chuck Hazel has won it outright for House District 27.
Update (10:50): The Attorney General’s race continues to be interesting. Alexander and Foti have been trading off to be the contender in a run-off against Caldwell. Moreover, The Times-Picayune is calling the races for Bobby Jindal and Mitch Landrieu.
Update (11:07): We are going to leave the outcome of the football game and the Attorney General race to the gods as we go downtown in Alexandria to celebrate the victories of Mitch Landrieu and Herbert Dixon. We are also thrilled that Eric LaFleur, Chris Roy, Jr. and Chuck Wagner secured a place in their respective run-offs. It also looks that Royal Alexander squeaked by Charles Foti to challenge Buddy Caldwell in the run-off for Attorney General.
We wish our best to Louisiana’s new governor, Bobby Jindal, and we earnestly hope that throughout the next four years, Mr. Jindal will reach out to people from all walks of life to build a better Louisiana. Hopefully, during the next four years, The Times-Picayune will learn how to spell Mr. Jindal’s name.
(More later…)
Update (11:32): Holy Smokes! Matt Flynn completes the last-second pass to win against Auburn 24-30!
CenLamar 
Oh, how I would love to see Jindal at 5%!
So Lemar
You going to do a Dixie Chicks and start singing “Not going to make nice” with Bobby Jindal or are you going to cling to the mantra from your fellow KoS Klowns?
“Louisiana is red for one reason: (8+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
miriam, nolalily, mint julep, hhex65, Progressive Moderate, Steve Singiser, ChapiNation386, yoduuuh do or do not
The Katrina Afermath.
If you “factor out” New Orleans, Louisiana is red because of all the [expletive deleted] Baptists up North. New Orleans kept them honest, and purplish. Karl Rove knew that. That’s why they didn’t lift a finger after Katrina hit. It took awhile,but half the city left, and did not come back.
Mission accomplished.”
Oh My!
Ok Fine,
We removed the link to Kos several weeks ago, primarily because their analysis of Louisiana politics is often vapid and half-baked. And their attention to the Jena Six was belated and phoned-in; one of their main bloggers actually had the audacity to publicly claim that Kos was THE MAIN REASON that some people found out about the Jena Six.
Anyone who looked at the election returns knows that Mitch Landrieu, a Democrat, actually received more votes in his re-election bid than Bobby Jindal, a Republican, received in the gubernatorial election. In other words, no matter what ignorance one may spew about North Louisianans, 702,000 people, including a majority of North Louisianans, still voted for a Democrat.
Anyway, I don’t listen to the Dixie Chicks, and I don’t subscribe to everything published by the Kos crowd.
Professor Jeffrey Sadow is in complete agreement with Daily Kos. Mighty strange bedfellows they make, no?
Many voters, including registered Republican such as myself, voted for Bobby Jindal & Mitch Landrieu. Landrieu was running against Sammy Kershaw and few minor candidates. Jindal ran against two self-financed millionaires, Foster Campbell, and many minor candidates. These races are not directly comparable.
Return to Secretary of State web site and examine who carried each parish. Jindal carried 61 parishes; Campbell, 2, and Boasso, 1. Landrieu carried 48 parishes; Kershaw, 16. My point is Jindal had widespread support in his majority. Landrieu carried three-fourths of parish running against “B-list” musician.
Thanks.
Anon, thank you for your comment. I think you help to underscore my point. Landrieu’s support shows that it is definitely possible for a qualified Democratic candidate to enjoy broad, statewide appeal.
Incidentally, Jindal did not “carry” 61 parishes. He carried 35. Mitch Landrieu carried 48. Dardenne’s map is somewhat misleading.
And while these races are not directly comparable (you’re right: Kershaw was not a serious candidate), the data still demonstrates the viability of a strong Democrat.