Poll points to likely runoff in Louisiana Senate race

A new poll points to a likely runoff in the Louisiana Senate race, with no candidate hitting the 50 percent mark it would take to avoid one.

The Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Monday shows the top two candidates in a virtual tie, with incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu only a single point ahead of Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy, 36-35 percent. Tea Party-aligned candidate Rob Maness was trailing with 11 percent.

If no candidate reaches over 50 percent, the top two vote-getters head to a December runoff.

The latest polling reports that in the event of a runoff, Cassidy has the advantage, 48 percent to Landrieu’s 41 percent.

The poll was conducted among 500 likely voters Oct. 23-36. It has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.