Louisiana
Verne Kennedy, whose polls influenced decades of Louisiana politics, is dead at 83
Only political insiders knew his name, but Verne Kennedy played a significant role for decades in deciding who would be elected governor of Louisiana.
Kennedy was a pollster whose survey results helped candidates craft messages for voters. Former governors Edwin Edwards and David Treen were among his clients.
Kennedy’s data also helped business owners decide who to bet their money on.
Kennedy earned a reputation for accuracy because he relied on the numbers and historical trends, not on hunches.
Kennedy, 83, died on Feb. 28 in Gulf Breeze, Florida. He had two children and was married to his wife Martha for 61 years.
Kennedy grew up at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans — his mother’s father Raymond Fleming was the adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard for 28 years — and went on to obtain a Ph.D. from LSU.
After serving as a college professor and for eight years as president of Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, Kennedy devoted himself full time to his company, Market Research Insight. The company would go on to conduct over 5,000 marketing and political surveys in all 50 states.
Besides working for candidates, Kennedy did polling for a group of about 20 business owners for Louisiana governor’s races from 1995 through 2023.
“We wanted to pick someone who wasn’t in Louisiana or was tied to any candidate and did good research,” said Randy Haynie, a veteran lobbyist in Baton Rouge who was a member of the group that hired Kennedy. “We trusted Verne. He gave us the numbers straight up.”
John Georges, who owns The Advocate | The Times-Picayune, was the organizer of the group for many years.
“He was about the science and not the art of politics,” Georges said.
Kennedy didn’t just poll on governor’s races in Louisiana. In Jefferson Parish, for example, he did surveys for such candidates as former Sheriff Newell Normand and former assessor Lawrence Chehardy, said Bob d’Hemecourt, a veteran political operative.
In 2022, Kennedy was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame.
In 2023, Kennedy told the business group that his data showed something that few were predicting: then-Attorney General Jeff Landry had a shot at being elected governor outright in the primary. And that’s what happened.
The business group always offered to have Kennedy explain his findings to the different campaigns in race, although not all of the candidates liked what they heard.
That was especially true during the 2015 governor’s race.
Kennedy’s first poll in May that year showed then-U.S. Sen. David Vitter, the Republican who was the heavy favorite, leading with 36% of the vote, with John Bel Edwards, a little-known Democratic state representative, running second with 27%.
But because African-American voters typically gave 90% of their vote to the Democratic candidate, Kennedy redistributed the numbers by giving 90% of the undecided Black voters to Edwards. That gave him 35%, and as news of Kennedy’s survey spread, Edwards suddenly gained credibility as a candidate among the political class.
In July, after Kennedy re-allocated 90% of the African-American vote to Edwards, his numbers showed the Democrat leading with 34%, while Vitter and then-Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, a Republican, both had 21%. Given that virtually all voters knew Vitter from his years in public office, Kennedy deduced that Vitter had little room to grow.
Kennedy advised Vitter’s campaign manager, Kyle Ruckert, that Vitter ought to seriously consider not even qualifying for the fall election. Instead, Ruckert went into damage control mode and publicly blasted Kennedy, saying he had engaged in “fantasy land polling.”
The pollster threatened to sue Vitter for libel. He didn’t follow through on that because he ended up getting the last laugh.
Edwards soundly defeated Vitter in the runoff election, 56% to 44%.
BATON ROUGE (KNOE) – Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming is accusing Governor Jeff Landry of interfering with the state Senate race, which Fleming is a part of.
Fleming took to social media to accuse Landry of working “behind the scenes” to get Congresswoman Julia Letlow elected to the Senate.
According to Fleming, Dr. Ralph Abraham offered him the position of Deputy Director of the CDC shortly before announcing he was stepping down. Fleming said he politely declined.
A week later, news broke that Abraham is now leading Letlow’s Senate campaign.
“We know that Jeff has been heavily lobbying the Trump campaign team for the endorsement, he is pressuring the Republican Party of Louisiana and the Republican Executive Committees to support and endorse Letlow as well,” Fleming wrote on Facebook. “And, he is personally calling his donors to raise big money to save the Letlow campaign.
Landry formally endorsed Letlow for the U.S. Senate on March 4. Letlow also has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
“We need a warrior who stands with the President to Make America Great. And there’s no greater warrior than a Louisiana mom,” Landry wrote on Facebook.
Fleming continued his commentary, asking when Landry will stop interfering with the state’s Senate race.
“Who is best to decide who represents you in Washington? Jeff Landry, or YOU?” Fleming asked.
Also in the heated race is incumbent Bill Cassidy, M.D.
Party primary elections in Louisiana are set for May 16, 2026.
Copyright 2026 KNOE. All rights reserved.
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing
07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 3 drawing
6-8-3
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 3 drawing
3-6-7-4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 3 drawing
0-8-3-2-0
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
- Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
- Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
- Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
- Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
- Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Louisiana
Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past
The brother of Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts — accused of raping her son’s teenage friend — is facing child sex crimes of his own.
Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, was accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years, KALB reported.
The alleged sexual abuse began when one of the victims was as young as 13, according to Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford.
He was arrested in October.
That comes years after his big sister – ex-mayor of DeRidder, 43-year-old Misty Roberts – allegedly got hot and heavy with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a drunken party at their home.
Roberts was allegedly caught in the tryst by her own kids.
She was arrested months later, and is currently on trial for rape charges.
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