New Orleans , Louisiana ( CNN ) -- Under almost any circumstance , Louisiana politics are hot and spicy . The race for the Senate seat this year plays to type , and then some : It 's an almost guaranteed runoff , to be decided in December . So the answer to the question of who controls the Senate could actually have to wait for Louisiana voters to figure it out . The stakes are high , yet the contest is a combination of Louisiana dynasty ( as in incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu , whose wobble dance this month is a viral hit ) vs. three term Republican congressman Bill Cassidy ( a physician who has focused his message on President Barack Obama 's record ) vs. conservative tea party candidate Rob Maness , a retired Air Force colonel ( running with the Sarah Palin seal of approval ) . Republicans are fuming at Maness , calling him a spoiler because they believe their candidate could have gotten half of the vote if he had disappeared from the race . He did n't , and he wo n't . We asked him about the accuracy of the term `` spoiler '' to describe his bid , and he was having none of it . `` Absolutely not , '' he responded . `` There is no taking votes away from so-and-so ... people will go out and vote for who they believe , can best serve us here in Louisiana . '' And so he remains very much in the race . A USA Today/Suffolk University Poll this week showed Landrieu and Cassidy almost neck and neck , at 36 % - 35 % . Maness , meantime , is at 11 % . So the top two finishers will face off in a run-off on Dec. 6 . `` We call it a jungle primary system because we just let all the candidates get into one room , so to speak , and just go at it and see who makes the runoff , '' said Jeremy Alford , publisher of LaPolitics.com . Democrats and Republicans are already into the runoff mode , with more than $ 10 million reserved on TV for the next phase . Expect that to grow if , in fact , control of the Senate comes down to Louisiana . But Louisiana might not be the only cliffhanger . In Georgia , a libertarian could force the Senate race there to a run-off in January -- a month later than Louisiana 's December date . As for Maness , he 's not letting the establishment talk him out of anything . `` The party , it 's about power , you know , '' Maness told CNN . `` Well , the back room got together and decided that so and so 's gon na be the guy or gal . '' He said he 's gotten calls urging him not to run -- which he resisted . His campaign got a splash — literally — as he `` wrestled '' an alligator , sort of . He does that in an ad in which he said `` Here in Louisiana you learn to be tough . One moment of weakness , and the alligators can eat you alive ... Louisiana needs a senator that will stand up to the career politicians and the alligators . '' `` Some said it was a stunt . But it was a very good way to communicate effectively visually with the people of Louisiana , '' Maness told CNN in an interview . It did get him noticed , and Sarah Palin has been to La . several times to campaign for him and help raise money . In Louisiana — which is also hosting the comeback campaign of ex Gov Edwin Edwards , a Democrat , now running for a House seat , and Republican Rep. Vance McAllister , an incumbent running for re-election after being caught on a surveillance camera kissing a married female staffer — the Senate race is par for the course . And maybe even a little bland . At least according to Isaac Toups , owner and chef of the New Orleans restaurant Toups ' Meatery whose family has been in Louisiana for five generations . `` You can fly your freak flag here in New Orleans . You can be a lot more liberal ... you can have a purple Mohawk and have your teeth painted black and someone next to you is gon na be twice as crazy '' Toups said as he prepared some Cajun fare . `` In north Louisiana , it can be very conservative , and that 's the way they roll ... our politics are lively and unique . '' CORRECTION : An earlier version of this story misstated Rob Maness ' first name and party affiliation . He is a Republican .
Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is in a tough reelection battle for her seat . The New York Times reports that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has spent more than $1 million on ads attacking her. There 's also another Republcian candidate Rob Maness who 's getting 11 % of the vote . The race will likely go to a runoff in December .