KPEL Listeners Express Opinion About 3rd Congressional Race

No race has been more hotly contested than the one right here in our own backyard.  The 3rd Congressional District of Louisiana has seen a contested primary rage on into a run-off between Congressman Charles Boustany and Congressman Jeff Landry.  Both men are Republican, so many felt as if this race would be a little more friendly.  That has not been the case, so we wanted to ask what people thought about the race, what was at issue and what people valued most.

Endorsements continue to be brought up by both candidates, so we asked if you thought that those were important to who you voted for.  Only 10 percent of those that responded thought they were very important.  Those that thought they were somewhat important weighed in at 46 percent and not important at all rated 45 percent.

The negativity of the campaign has been evident in many ads, so we asked for your feedback on just how negative you thought the race was getting.  The results were overwhelming in that people feel things are extremely negative.  The question put it on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being extreme and 75 percent of those that responded put the negativity at a rating of 8, 9 or 10, with the ranking of 10 bringing in a whopping 41 percent.

As to how the negativity reflects on the candidates, 60 percent said that it reflects a great deal on the one doing the negative advertising.  Some that responded went on to say that negative advertising made candidates,

seem desperate without ideas.

and,

Makes one wonder what he has to hide.

The candidates have been advertising with the idea that the economy, healthcare and the oil and gas industry are big issues in this campaign.  That checked out with the survey, with many chiming in that the most important issue was either oil and gas drilling or the economy.  Oil and gas got just a shade over 32 percent and the economy rated the response of around 30.5 percent of those that replied.

What is most important to you in a Congressman?  Many said that the ability to get the job done wins the day, with 45 percent weighing in.  However, values are still important to some as 52 percent chimed in saying that either honesty or integrity are what they value most.

In the end, we asked if there needed to be another debate on Newstalk 96.5 KPEL and 53 percent responded that it was something they wanted to see happen.

This unscientific survey of KPEL listeners was taken over the last few weeks and while we  don't know how this race will end, you have clearly spoken about what matters most to you  as this race enters the homestretch.