National Dems nix ad buys for Landrieu

National Democrats are canceling a portion of their planned advertising buy in Louisiana for Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) runoff battle with Rep. Bill Cassidy (R).

{mosads}A Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) aide confirmed the committee canceled buys starting Monday and running through Dec. 6, the date of the runoff, in the Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans markets. It’s unclear how much of the committee’s initial $2 million-plus reservation remains.

The move underscores, and likely exacerbates, her underdog status in the race. But with Senate control no longer up for grabs, after Republicans gained a 52-seat majority in Tuesday night’s elections, Landrieu’s reelection fight has lost some of its urgency for Democrats.

Cassidy played down the news in an appearance on Fox News on Friday afternoon, saying, “we’re running hard to the end.”

A handful of Republican groups, meanwhile, have already reserved at least $7 million in airtime over the next month.

DSCC spokesman Justin Barasky said the development doesn’t mean the committee is writing the incumbent off.

“Mary Landrieu is a proven run-off winner and we support her 100 percent. We are going to make ongoing determinations on how best to invest in the race. We made the initial reservation when there were concerns that the rates would skyrocket but they have stabilized, giving us more flexibility to make week-to-week decisions,” he said.

Every recent public poll has shown Landrieu trailing Cassidy in a head-to-head matchup.

This story was posted on Nov. 6 at  2:40 p.m. and updated Nov. 7 at 4:38 p.m.