Who Won Louisiana: Mitt Romney Wins With Over 60 Percent of the Vote

Louisiana voters gave Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign a resounding thumbs up Tuesday, and delivered the deep south state for the Republican contender in an outcome that was long expected. With half of all precincts statewide reporting election results, Romney carried Louisiana by a margin of 62% to 37%.

President Barack Obama fared well in the state’s urban areas, picking up much of the vote in areas like New Orleans and Baton Rouge where Democrats have a strong registration advantage. But Louisiana has been a red state since 1996 when Bill Clinton was the last national Democrat to carry the state in a presidential election.

Since then, the state has trended red and has only two Democratic members in its congressional delegation. The state is home to Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), an ardent Romney supporter and critic of President Obama’s health care expansion plan. Jindal has traveled the country ahead of Election Day plugging Romney’s candidacy.

Jindal’s advocacy is in line with much of the state’s electorate, which sent more campaign dollars to Republican coffers this election cycle than to Democrats. In July, the Times-Picayune reported that the GOP pulled in more than $10 million from Louisiana residents, while Democrats bundled just under $3 million.

Jindal, who will lead the Republican Governors Association in 2013, was a possible vice presidential pick for both Romney and Sen. John McCain in 2008. Having been passed over for the post in the past two cycles, Jindal’s future political plans could include a Senate run in 2014, or even a run for the White House in 2016.