Louisiana Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy told "Fox & Friends" that if he doesn't win his bid for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday against Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu, then he'll win in December if there's a runoff, because the people in his state want change.
Cassidy is running against Landrieu, tea party favorite Republican Rob Maness, and six other candidates. If no one receives 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election, a runoff will be held Dec. 6.
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"If we don't win on [Nov. 4), we'll win Dec. 6. The majority of the people in Louisiana want change. I represent that change. It may take us an extra month. But if we don't win [on] the fourth, we'll win Dec. 6," Cassidy said Monday.
If the election ends up in a runoff, Cassidy said he felt he would benefit from people who vote for Maness in Tuesday's election.
"His voters object to her, supporting the president 97 percent of the time; her vote to cut Medicare by $700 billion; and I can go down the list. So they object to her. They will support me. I represent them," he said.
Cassidy is ahead of Landrieu in polls, according to
RealClearPolitics, but shy of the 50 percent necessary to avoid a runoff.
Cassidy said he was "saddened" rather than surprised by recent comments by Landrieu when she told NBC's Chuck Todd that the South was not "the friendliest place for African-Americans," and maintained race had prevented President Barack Obama from presenting himself "in a very positive light as a leader."
Landrieu also brought gender into the issue, and told Todd the South had not "always been a good place for women to be able to present ourselves." Cassidy said he thought the comments reflected Landrieu's opinions.
"We're not racist. We're not sexist. We have common sense," Cassidy said. "I actually think she believes it. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth does speak."
Landrieu would "rather talk about name-calling than about issues," Cassidy explained, adding that she was "on the wrong side of issues."
"The way to win an election should not be exciting racial tension. It should be speaking to that which is better in people, or addressing issues," he said. "She supports the president 97 percent of the time. She'd rather talk about anything but issues."
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