By james art 
In recent days, the race between Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and former President Donald Trump, a Republican, has been a real battle, major polls show.
The outcome will remain uncertain until the votes are counted on Election Day, particularly in seven battleground states where it is unclear whether the electorate will swing Republican or Democratic. These states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Louisiana voters, however, are expected to hand Trump a decisive victory in the Pelican State.
In both 2020 and 2016, Trump won 58% of the vote in Louisiana. In the three previous elections, the Republican candidate won roughly the same share of the vote.
On par with past years, there are approximately 3 million registered voters in Louisiana. So far, nearly 970,000 voters have already cast their ballots. If voter turnout this year is around 70%, as is usual, that means over one million voters will cast their ballots on November 5.
Whichever candidate wins in Louisiana, he secures the state’s eight electoral votes. To win the presidency, a candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia—at least 270 out of 538.
Congressional Elections
There are no swings in Louisiana’s six congressional races: four Republicans and two Democrats are expected to win.
In the four Republican districts, all incumbents are running to retain their seats. None face well-funded or politically competitive rivals.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, the chamber’s most powerful member and a close Trump ally, is running for re-election in District 4. He faces a Republican challenger, Joshua Morot, a substitute teacher.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise in District 1 is facing a bunch of little-known challengers. Randall Arrington and Ross Shales, both Republicans, and Frankie Hyers, who is nonpartisan, run their campaigns through social media. Democrat Mel Manuel is also in the race.
Julia Letlow is running in District 5 against two candidates: MV “Vinny” Mendoza, a Republican, and Michael Vallien Jr., a Democrat.
Clay Higgins in District 3 is running against two Democrats, Sadie Summerlin and Pricilia Gonzalez, and one Republican, Xan John.
On the Democratic side, state Sen. Cleo Fields is favored to win her race, either outright on Tuesday or in a December runoff, in the recently redrawn 6th District. Fields faces a handful of challengers: Elbert Guillory, a Republican, as well as Quentin Anthony Anderson, Wilken Jones Jr. and Peter Williams, all Democrats.
Democrat Congressman Troy Carter, a well-funded incumbent from New Orleans, is also expected to win his race in District 2. Carter’s challengers include Devin Davis, a Democrat who is further to the left of Carter, and three Republicans: Christy Lynch, Shondrell Perilloux and Devin Lance Graham.
Constitutional amendment
A statewide constitutional amendment is also on the ballot for all Louisiana voters.
It questions whether revenues from wind and renewable energy projects in federal waters off Louisiana should be earmarked for coastal restoration and protection, as is already the case with offshore oil and gas revenues.
Public Service Commission
One seat on the five-member commission that regulates public utilities in Louisiana will be up for election this year. The race for the District 2 seat, which centers around Baton Rouge, has three challengers, including two Republicans and one Democrat.
Because the district is heavily Republican, one of two Republicans — state Sen. Jean-Paul Coussan and former state Sen. Julie Quinn — is expected to win either Tuesday or in the December runoff. Political newcomer Nick Laborde is the Democrat in the race.
Supreme Court of Louisiana
First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge John Michael Guidry, a Democrat, automatically won the race for one of the seven seats on the Louisiana Supreme Court after two of three candidates were disqualified in August for failure to file tax returns.
Guidry will fill the District 2 seat after Judge Scott Crichton retires.
In East Baton Rouge Parish
Voters will also make their choice for East Baton Rouge Parish’s next mayor-president to represent them on the Metro Council, multiple judges, changes to residential mapping rules and whether to renew taxes for the BREC park system.
Controversial attacks, hopeful messages and big money have saturated the last 250 days of Baton Rouge’s mayoral election. Three favorites have emerged in the race over the past few months.
Incumbent Democratic Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, Democrat Ted James and Republican Sid Edwards are seeking to garner enough votes to secure a spot in a potential runoff in December.
In the Metro Council, several districts saw unopposed incumbents, but Districts 1, 2, 5, 7, 10 and 11 each have a race and some could go to a December runoff.
Elsewhere on the ballot, voters will decide on two BREC tax renewals that fund parish parks, the Baton Rouge Zoo and Liberty Lagoon Water Park. The first ballot proposal is a 10-year renewal of a total of 6.2 mills for general operations and building improvements. The second is a 20-year renewal of 3,253 mills that will support BREC’s strategic plan.
BREC officials say the renewals are critical to maintaining park services, but the organization has also faced criticism for how it manages its finances.
Finally, voters will choose whether to update the Baton Rouge Management Plan, a proposal that would change several updates to how the city-parish operates, most notably the creation of a city-parish manager position. The manager will be appointed by the mayor and approved by the Metro Council.