Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins is vying to become the first Black senator to represent Louisiana since 1887, but the Democratic challenger — one of 15 candidates in the race — faces an uphill battle against Republican incumbent Bill Cassidy.
Perkins and Cassidy are the two most well-known and well-funded candidates. They’re the only two elected officials on the ballot and both have been boosted by key endorsements. President Donald Trump and the rest of the GOP establishment has backed Cassidy. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards endorsed Perkins and a Super PAC has been launched to support his bid.
Cassidy, a doctor from Baton Rouge, is hoping to win his second six-year term to the U.S. Senate. He’s raised more than $9 million and has started airing campaign ads on TV touting his work on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs committee. As both a senator and a physician, Cassidy has at times led GOP efforts on public health issues — and President Trump says he calls Cassidy when he has questions about health care policy. Earlier this year, Cassidy announced that he’d tested positive for the coronavirus — and has since recovered.
Perkins, who made a surprising last-minute entrance into the senate race, is one of five Democratic candidates on the ballot. Perkins has served as mayor of Shreveport since December 2018. He’s a former Army Ranger and graduated from Harvard Law, where he also served as student body president.
Other Democrats include Baton Rouge political activist and organizer Antoine Pierce, New Orleans educator Peter Wenstrup, restaurant manager David Drew Knight, and attorney and disability advocate Derrick Edwards.
There are several independents on the ballot: Beryl Billiot, Melinda Mary Price, Reno Jean Daret III, John Paul Bourgeois, Gregory E. Fitch, Xan John, Vinny Mendoza and Jamar Myers-Montgomery.
To learn more about what's on your 2020 ballot, check out our ballot guide.
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