RELEASE: Recent Poll Shows Fayard As A Serious Contender For U.S. Senate Race

2016 Election

September 9, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Recent Poll Shows Fayard As A Serious Contender For U.S. Senate Race

Nearly one-third of voters undecided ahead of Election Day

NEW ORLEANS, LA – With Election Day just two months away, attorney Caroline Fayard is tied for second place with Rep. Charles Boustany in the open-seat race for the U.S. Senate. According to a new poll by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research, John Kennedy (18%) is narrowly ahead of Caroline Fayard (13%) and Charles Boustany (13%), with the other candidates trailing in single digits in a nine-way U.S. Senate ballot test.

Of the three Democrats tested, Fayard is the only candidate with support in double digits (13%), with Foster Campbell taking 7% and Josh Pellerin at 1%. Fayard’s advantage over the other Democrats is driven by African American women (29%), white female Democrats (22%), and voters in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge media markets (14% and 16%, respectively).

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Moreover, nearly one-third of the electorate remains undecided at this time, indicating that many voters are still taking time to decide which candidate is the best to serve as Louisiana’s next U.S. Senator.

Education Reform Now-Advocacy, a 501c(4) organization that partners with Democrats for Education Reform-Louisiana, commissioned the poll from ALG Research.

Eva Kemp, State Director of DFER-Louisiana said, “This poll is the first live poll conducted since the candidate-qualifying period concluded in July, and the numbers tell a pretty straightforward story in terms of who is gaining traction as we pass the traditional ‘kick-off’ of campaign season.

“When looking at the Democratic candidates specifically, the poll shows Caroline Fayard leading the field across numerous demographics,” said Kemp. “DFER-Louisiana endorsed Fayard a couple weeks ago as the clear choice for Louisiana families and kids. Not only do these numbers show that our organization made the right choice, but they confirm that her message is resonating with voters who are concerned about Louisiana’s future. Caroline will be a fighter for Louisiana in Washington, and these poll numbers are just the beginning of her momentum.”

This morning, Jeremy Alford’s LaPolitics Weekly led with a story about the poll, writing:

There is another Democratic difference of opinion in the race that is most certainly a divide. On one side you have a traditional teacher union candidate in Campbell, who was endorsed by the Louisiana Federation of TeachersThursday and is expected to receive the backing of the Louisiana Association of Educators soon. On the other side is Fayard, a pro-charter candidate who has the support of DFER Louisiana and like-minded groups. Such a choice is a rarity for Democrats in this state, and it may be a sign of things to come.

DFER caused quite a stir yesterday when it started circulating a poll it commissioned with Anzalone Liszt Grove that shows Fayard gaining support among black and women voters. It shows Fayard moving ahead of Campbell and is said to be the reason Mitch Landrieu decided to finally endorse her candidacy. With an undecided section that comes in at 31 percent, here’s the breakdown: John Kennedy, 18; Fayard, 13; Charles Boustany, 13; Campbell, 7; John Fleming, 6; Rob Maness, 4; David Duke, 3; Troy Hebert, 3; and Pellerin, 1.

Anzalone Liszt Grove Research conducted 605 live telephone interviews with likely 2016 general election voters in Louisiana. Interviews were conducted August 29 – September 1, 2016. Respondents were selected at random, with interviews apportioned geographically based on past voter turnout. Expected margin of sampling error is ±4.0% with a 95% confidence level.

Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA) is a 501c(4) organization that partners with DFER-Louisiana. As a political reform organization that cultivates and supports leaders in our party who champion America’s public schoolchildren, ERNA and DFER-LA PAC have worked to increase both the quality and quantity of Democrats in elected offices across the state. ERNA and DFER-LA have provided support to reform-minded leaders who are dedicated to improving the lives of children in New Orleans and across the state, including Governor John Bel Edwards, Jada Lewis, Kira Orange Jones, Senators Wesley Bishop, Troy Carter, JP Morrell, Speaker Pro Tempore Walt Leger, Representatives Jimmy Harris, Gary Carter and Mr. John Brown of the Orleans Parish School Board. We look forward to offering similar and increased support to candidates in 2016 and beyond.

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For questions about the poll or ERNA, please contact Leslie Leavoy at leslie@dfer.org.