Landrieu and Opponent Pull Ads As Gustav Bears Down on Gulf Coast

The Senate’s most vulnerable Democrat is taking no chances with the biggest storm since hurricanes Katrina and Rita expected to soon hit Louisiana.

After cutting short her trip to the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) is now pulling all of her television advertising between Aug. 30-Sept. 2.

Scott Schneider, press secretary for the Landrieu campaign, said the move is being done out of “respect for Louisianans who look to television news for information on the path of the storm and potential mandatory evacuations.”

Landrieu’s opponent, state Treasurer John Kennedy, announced later Thursday that he also would suspend his television and radio advertising from Aug. 30-Sept. 2.

In Louisiana’s first Senate election since the 2005 storms, Landrieu is hoping to avoid the fate of former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D), who took a political beating after concerns that the state responded inadequately to the catastrophic flooding in New Orleans.

Tropical Storm Gustav could turn into a hurricane and hit Louisiana early next week, just as Republicans gather to nominate John McCain for president.

–Manu Raju