LOUISIANA (KPEL News) - U.S. Senator John Kennedy is projected to win re-election despite facing off against a dozen challengers.

Kennedy was the odds-on favorite for an outright win, despite high-profile challenges from activist Gary Chambers and the John Bel Edwards-backed Luke Mixon, who mostly split the Democratic vote, which was just under one-third of the total vote across the state.

The incumbent Senator raised a massive amount of money in his re-election bid. OpenSecrets.org has his warchest at more than $37 million.

Is Governor Next?

There has been speculation recently that Kennedy may be looking to turn around and run for Governor in 2023. However, recent events may preclude that.

The Louisiana Republican Party's executive committee voted over the weekend to endorse Attorney General Jeff Landry for Governor. Landry is the only Republican candidate to officially announce.

It appears unlikely that Kennedy would set himself up to run against Landry and the state GOP in a gubernatorial bid. As a returning Senator to a possibly GOP-controlled Senate, he will have a lot of power in various Senate committees, including the powerful judiciary committee.

Kennedy's odds of remaining in Washington are a lot higher than the odds that he'll decide to come back to Louisiana for the governor's mansion.

Incumbents Walk Back In

It was a smooth night for all the incumbents in Louisiana's congressional delegation. Congressman Clay Higgins won re-elections despite a large number of challengers, and every incumbent won well beyond the 50 percent plus one needed to win without a run-off.

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