A state district judge in Louisiana threw out a challenge to Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) residency, according to The New York Times.
The lawsuit against Landrieu’s residency was premature, judge Wilson Fields ruled. The lawsuit was filed by state Rep. Paul Hollis (R). It said that Landrieu lived in Washington D.C., was not a resident of Louisiana and therefore could not represent the state.
The lawsuit followed a Washington Post story which reported that Landrieu is registered to vote at the house where her parents have been living for decades.
Fields said the day of the election was key in this case and that the court would be open to hearing a challenge if Landrieu won reelection on Nov. 4.
“She has not been elected, and if I read the Constitution, in its plain language it says ‘when elected,'” Fields said according to the Times.
Hollis told the Times he wasn’t sure if he planned to appeal the judge’s ruling.
“I have not decided if I should appeal,” Hollis said.
After the Washington Post story, Rob Maness, a Republican candidate in the Louisiana Senate race, also filed a formal complaint with local prosecutors asking them to investigate Landrieu’s residency.
Landrieu currently holds a 17 point advantage in the Senate race, according to the TPM Polltracker average.
“Today’s ruling does nothing to change the fact that Mary Landrieu is more committed to Barack Obama and Washington, D.C. than Louisiana, and we will continue to highlight that fact throughout this fall,” Louisiana Republican Party executive director Jason Doré said.
This post was updated.
