The 2008 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 4, 2008. This was the first time since the 1970s that Louisiana used primaries for federal races. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu won reelection to a third term, while her Republican opponent John Kennedy won Louisiana's other Senate seat in 2016. As of 2021, this is the last time the Democrats won a U.S. Senate election in Louisiana. Despite her status as one of the most vulnerable senate Democrats up in 2008, Landrieu eked out a victory, boosted by the notional Democratic lean. She also received praise and wide publicity for her advocacy after Hurricane Katrina, particularly as it came to hearings concerning the response from FEMA to the disaster. Her opponent had switched parties, becoming a Republi