Few people in New Orleans believe the November contest in which Democrat Mary Landrieu defeated Jenkins by 5, 788 votes was, in its execution, a model of civic propriety.

CNN: No Saints In New Orleans

But while Bill Clinton carried the re-drawn 6th in 1992 and 1996, Republican Senate candidate Woody Jenkins beat Democrat Mary Landrieu in the district in the '96 Senate race.

CNN: AllPolitics

"You have to note that the Republicans had an extremely flawed candidate, " Rothenberg said of Jenkins, a divisive former state lawmaker who lost a bruising Senate race in 1996 to Mary Landrieu.

CNN: Democrats emboldened by Louisiana win