Court to hear Landrieu residency challenge

A Louisiana court will hear a challenge to Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-La.) residency status on Friday.

{mosads}State Rep. Paul Hollis, who briefly entered the race as a Republican before dropping out, filed a legal challenge last week alleging that Landrieu can’t represent Louisiana in the Senate because she doesn’t live in the state. That challenge will be heard in a Baton Rouge, La., court this week.

His challenge, and one filed by current Republican candidate Rob Maness that was dismissed, cites the fact that Landrieu listed her parents’ house in New Orleans when she qualified for the ballot last month. The senator owns that house with her mother and her eight siblings. 

She listed her Capitol Hill home, which she owns with her husband, on the statement of candidacy she filed with the Federal Election Commission in January.

Her Republican opponents have charged that her use of parents’ address for official documents indicates she’s not really a resident of Louisiana. They say it’s further evidence Landrieu is out of touch with the state.

Many senators have faced tough reelection fights this cycle and last after opponents questioned their ties to their home state.

Louisiana political observers don’t expect the challenge to go very far, however. The judge assigned to the case, Wilson Fields, is a former Democratic state senator. The Landrieu political dynasty goes back to the senator’s popular father and his tenure as mayor of New Orleans, making it unlikely that questioning Landrieu’s Louisiana ties will stick.