Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu lost the Louisiana runoff election to Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy Saturday evening, giving one more seat to the GOP majority in the upcoming Congress. The Associated Press broke the news about half an hour after polls closed Saturday night at 8 p.m.
Cassidy's win means Republicans will now hold 54 seats when the Senate returns in January, nine more than they currently have.
"I came here 18 years ago, fighting to get here, fighting to stay here, and I'm going to fight for the people of my state until the day that I leave - I hope that will not be soon," Landrieu said after the vote. "There's only joy in the fight. Where I come from, we just never talk about quitting, and we don't talk about whining."
Louisiana Republicans took additional victories in two Louisiana House districts on Saturday, and will now hold at least 246 seats, compared to 188 for the Democrats. It's the largest GOP advantage since the Truman administration, reported The Associated Press.
Landrieu led a Nov. 4 primary ballot by a small margin, at 42 percent, but after Republicans regained control of Congress, Democrats realized their efforts were in vein and the party withdrew much of its support for the three-term senator, while the Republican party ramped up its efforts to convince Louisianans that Landrieu was not the right representative for their state.
Following the Nov. 4 primary, democratic groups aired only 100 television ads in support of Landrieu, while conservative groups aired 6,000, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
Critics say Landrieu's defeat was largely attributable to her inability to adequately distance herself from President Barack Obama, who lost Louisiana by 17 points in his 2012 re-election.
Cassidy repeatedly reminded voters that Landrieu voted with the president 97 percent of the time, and portrayed her as the "deciding vote" for passing Obamacare, reported NBC News.
In late November, Landrieu failed to convince enough members of her party to support the Keystone XL pipeline, a measure that if passed, could add a much needed boost to the Louisiana economy.
Landrieu's campaign pitch revolved heavily around what she claimed she could do for her state in Washington, but to the people of Louisiana, her Keystone failure was another red flag indicating Landrieu may not have what it takes to live up to her claims.
