The TV ad war is heating up in Louisiana as voters prepare to enter the jungle.
In advance of the state’s open, or “jungle,” primary this Saturday, Louisiana saw more state-level political advertising than any other state last week.
The system allows voters to select a preferred candidate in each race, regardless of party affiliation. Candidates who win a simple majority of votes are declared the general election winner. In races with no majority winner, the top two candidates advance to a runoff election Nov. 21.
No race has seen more TV ads than the fight to replace outgoing Gov. Bobby Jindal. Republican U.S. Sen David Vitter, the early favorite in the race, has aired more ads than any other candidate as he tries to combat attacks on his Washington record and his links to a notorious prostitution scandal.
Reporter Rachel Baye contributed.
Sources: Center for Public Integrity analysis of Kantar Media/CMAG data current through Oct. 19; U.S. Census/Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey.