Could ‘Duck Dynasty’ sink McAllister?

by Alexandra Jaffe - 09/24/14 9:02 AM ET

Could the popular reality television show “Duck Dynasty” again make the difference in a Louisiana House race?

{mosads}That’s what Republican Zach Dasher is hoping in his bid for Rep. Vance McAllister’s (R-La.) seat. He’s one of six Republicans challenging McAllister after the congressman was caught on tape kissing a former staffer.

Dasher, a nephew of “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson, has nabbed the endorsement from the clan away from McAllister and features Phil and his wife, Kay, in his newest radio ad.

“I’m Kay Robertson and I’m voting for Zach Dasher,” Kay says in the ad, followed by Phil declaring, “I’m Phil Robertson and I’m voting for Zach, my nephew. He’s been officially and thoroughly vetted by the Robertson clan.”

Kay interrupts Phil, telling him, “You have to say the last name,” before Dasher closes with his approval disclaimer. The ad is backed by a significant five-figure, district-wide buy, and is intended, a Dasher campaign aide said, to make sure the districts knows “that the Robertsons are 110 percent behind Zach’s campaign.”

Phil Robertson supported McAllister during his first run and was widely credited with helping drive the relatively unknown businessman to a win over GOP state Sen. Neil Riser.

Robertson has since disavowed McAllister, and criticized him for the scandal that prompted calls for the congressman’s resignation. When McAllister ignored those calls, a long line of Republicans jumped into the race to try to take his place.

“The last dude last year fed us a lie. I don’t even know the dude,” Robertson said at one point.

McAllister recently acknowledged the scandal in his first ad, which featured his wife saying she was “blessed to have a husband that owns up to his mistakes.”

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He remains competitive in the race, despite the scandal, and took second in the most recent independent poll, just 2 points behind Republican Ralph Abraham, a doctor. Democrat Jamie Mayo came in third in that survey.

With Louisiana’s jungle primary system, where all candidates are on the November ballot regardless of party, Democrats are hopeful they can drive their candidate to a runoff and potentially nab the seat if they enter a head-to-head contest with the scandal-marred congressman, despite the red lean of the seat.

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