In terms of political ideology, Col. Rob Maness and Senator Mary Landrieu are on opposite sides of the spectrum. However, by simply being in the race is Col. Maness candidacy making it possible for Mary Landrieu to defeat Congressman Bill Cassidy? In other words is the conservative Republican the biggest supporter of the more liberal Democrat?

Supporter? Certainly not in thought, word, and or deed. But by default, Rob Maness' depth of support could be the reason that Bill Cassidy's campaign won't have the votes to topple the sitting Senator.  It's a sticky wicket and just part of what makes America's political process so interesting.

Here is what one political observer suggested in regards to Maness' candidacy and how it affects Cassidy's campaign,

"I think if this were a Cassidy vs Landrieu election, the wins are certainly in favor of Republicans. If Maness weren't in the picture now, maybe Cassidy would have a clearer shot of winning outright."

Those are the thoughts of LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan. Hogan's comments were chronicled by the Louisiana Radio Network.

Hogan went on to say that the strategy by Maness to stay in the race and continue to fight for his platform and his supporters beliefs could serve the more conservative side of the Republican Party well.

"This is a smart strategy, in some ways, on the part of very conservative voters. Run a candidate against a conservative to moderate candidate and maybe pull them to your side against issues you're concerned about."

The latest polling numbers as released by Real Clear Politics shows that Senator Landrieu was supported by 38% of respondents. Congressman Cassidy was supported by 36% of the respondents to the poll. Col Maness was supported by 9% of those who responded to the survey.

You don't have to be a Common Core math baby to figure out that even with Maness' supporters behind him Cassidy would still be short of 50%. In fact, Mary Landrieu would still be short of the majority . That means that roughly 17% of Louisiana voters have not made up their minds or chose not to voice an opinion in this survey.

Many believe that the majority of that 17% of undecided voters lean to the conservative side. Still, Senator Landrieu is a sitting 3-term Senator with very high name recognition and that will work in her favor. How this all plays out will not be determined by pollsters, political pundits, or radio announcers who view politics in Louisiana as a contact sport. This race will be determined by what you think.  Early voting is now underway in all Louisiana parishes. All voters are encouraged to vote early or cast their vote on November 4th.

More From 97.3 The Dawg