BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana voters choosing the state's newest member of Congress faced a crowded list of candidates on Saturday's ballot, with 14 contenders seeking the 5th District seat.

The special election was called when Rodney Alexander announced in August that he was resigning to take a job with Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration.

Polls close at 8 p.m.

The two highest vote-getters advance to a November runoff if no one gets more than 50 percent of the vote.

Republican state Sen. Neil Riser is the front-runner.

Five other elected officials are among those vying for an expected second runoff spot: Public Service Commissioner Clyde Holloway, a Republican; state Rep. Marcus Hunter, a Democrat; state Rep. Robert Johnson, a Democrat; Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo, a Democrat; and state Rep. Jay Morris, a Republican.

More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL