Louisiana Senate race headed for a December runoff

BATON ROUGE, La., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Louisiana voters will likely have to wait until December to decide between Sen. Mary Landrieu and challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy, as neither appears poised to command the 50 percent vote necessary to outright win the three-candidate race.

CNN reports late Tuesday showed Cassidy with a 42 to 40 percent lead over Landrieu, while Tea Party-backed outsider Rob Maness had 11 percent.

If no candidate gains 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates will face off in a December runoff. Landrieu may face an uphill battle without a third candidate, as Maness' voters are unlikely to throw their support behind a Democrat.

From the onset, Landrieu has been somewhat of an underdog for an incumbent. In April, before the GOP field was even set, Landrieu was only polling 42 percent voter support and was intrinsically tied to Obamacare in the eyes of the shifting blue, but still deeply red state.

Residency and ethics complaints hurt Landrieu's struggling campaign, forcing the Democrat to defend her "36 feet wide" Washington, D.C., apartment and admit to using Senate funds to finance campaign-related flights.

The residency complaint was thrown out, but the ethics complaint created an awkward situation for Landrieu.

Amoung Landrieu's campaign highlights were endorsements from top local politicians, and the senator helping a supporter do a keg stand before a Louisiana State University football game.