BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Former President Barack Obama on Friday endorsed Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins in Louisiana’s U.S. Senate race, backing that could help the candidate consolidate Democratic support to his side in a race with several Democratic contenders.
Obama’s support for Perkins came in a list of dozens of endorsements for Democratic candidates in the Nov. 3 election that the former president released on Twitter. It was Obama’s only endorsement for a congressional candidate in Louisiana on the list.
Perkins is challenging Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy in a long-shot bid to unseat the incumbent, who is seeking a second six-year term. Cassidy, a doctor from Baton Rouge, has drawn 14 opponents in the race.
Perkins, in office as mayor since December 2018, is one of five Democratic contenders. He’s the highest-profile challenger to Cassidy, with degrees from West Point and Harvard and a military career that included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cassidy remains favored to win a second term, with a sizable campaign account and high name recognition in a red state where only one Democrat holds statewide office. President Donald Trump has endorsed Cassidy for reelection.
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