Feminists Celebrate Landrieu's Win in Louisiana Senate Runoff

December 11, 2002

by NOW Staff

In what feminist leaders are calling a "landslide victory," Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu beat Republican state elections commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell in a Dec. 7 special election, taking 52 percent of the vote in spite of George W. Bush's heavy investment in Terrell, his handpicked candidate.

Bush campaigned for Terrell, as did Vice President Dick Cheney, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani and other prominent Republicans. The Republican Party funded a wave of negative television and radio ads that personally attacked Landrieu on her support of abortion rights and other issues. But in the final weeks of the campaign, Landrieu emphasized her differences with the Republican Party and called attention to what she called a secret deal between the Bush administration and Mexico to increase sugar imports, which would hurt Louisiana's sugar industry.

Feminist leaders called Landrieu's win a resounding rebuff against the Bush administration, and said that Louisiana voters sent a strong message to the president and the Republican party that their support is waning.

"Six years ago, Landrieu beat the ultra-conservative Woody Jenkins by only 5,788 votes, and he was a marginal candidate at best," said NOW Membership Vice President Terry O'Neill. "This time Landrieu trounced a Republican candidate backed by millions of Bush administration dollars."

"The Bush machine's take-no-prisoners campaign style, with its negative ads and vicious personal attacks, didn’t work this time," O'Neill said. "The people of Louisiana wanted a senator who will stand up to Bush, and NOW is working harder than ever with our friends in Congress who will stand up to the extremist onslaught."