Palin to stump for Cassidy in Louisiana

Sarah Palin will travel to Louisiana this weekend to throw her weight behind Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is seeking to finish off an impressive Republican midterm campaign cycle by taking out incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.)

Palin, Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, and Tea Party Senate candidate Rob Maness, who challenged Cassidy in the general election, will be on hand for a Republican “unity rally” in Monroe on Saturday, according to a source familiar with the event.

{mosads}During the general election, Cassidy failed to land the endorsements of many on the right, who either supported Maness or stayed on the sidelines. But with the run-off down to Cassidy and Landrieu, conservatives from all over the country are dropping in on the Pelican State in hopes of vanquishing their last Democratic target in the Senate.

Maness had attacked Cassidy for months, saying he was a part of the problem in Washington, and Palin predicted a Maness victory over Cassidy as recently as late October, but both are now singing Cassidy’s praises.

So too is Tony Perkins, the president of the conservative Family Research Council, who originally endorsed Maness, and the Tea Party Express in Louisiana.

Saturday will be the second Republican unity rally this week. On Monday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) spoke at a Baton Rouge rally on Cassidy’s behalf. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) also attended the rally in support of  Cassidy. Neither endorsed Cassidy during the general election. 

On Election Day, Landrieu took 43 percent in a field where the Republicans split the vote. Cassidy came in at 42 percent, and Maness at 14 percent. Louisiana’s election rules require a run-off between the top two candidates if nobody hits the 50 percent mark in the general election.

Louisiana Democrats say that Republicans’ failure to back Cassidy in the general election is a sign that he failed to connect within GOP circles. They also point to Maness’s double-digit support in the general election and say those Louisiana voters won’t turn out for Cassidy in the runoff just because national Republicans have now taken an interest in the race.

Still, by any measure, Cassidy has the momentum. While he benefits from unity rallies, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has said it won’t spend the $2 million it had reserved for ads backing Landrieu this month. She’s now getting hammered on the airwaves by Republicans and outside groups that continue to spend in the state.

While Cassidy is on the campaign trail, Landrieu is in Washington pushing her colleagues for a vote on the Keystone Pipeline. A vote could remind Louisianans of her clout on the Senate Energy Committee and put space between herself and President Obama.

Cassidy leads Landrieu by nearly five points in the head-to-head matchup, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls.