Changes

Burns nearly won outright the five-candidate, all-Republican nonpartisan blanket [[primary]] held on October 4, 2003. He led with 6,152 votes (46.7 percent). Susan Bonnett, with 3,534 votes (26.8 percent) ran second.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 4, 2003.</ref> Bonnett withdrew from the pending [[general election]], and Burns won the seat outright.  Burns was reelected without opposition in 2007.​

Burns nearly won outright the five-candidate, all-Republican nonpartisan blanket [[primary]] held on October 4, 2003. He led with 6,152 votes (46.7 percent). Susan Bonnett, with 3,534 votes (26.8 percent) ran second.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 4, 2003.</ref> Bonnett withdrew from the pending [[general election]], and Burns won the seat outright.  Burns was reelected without opposition in 2007.​

After the election of Republican [[Bobby Jindal]] as [[governor]] in 2007, Burns soon entered the [[special election]] called to fill Jindal's term in Louisiana's 1st congressional district. His principal rival was newly elected state Senator [[Steve Scalise]] of Jefferson Parish. Burns accused Scalise of having used push polling to mislead voters in their congressional race. Under this system, a campaign contacts voters by telephone and asks probing questions which leave a negative impression of an opposing candidate. Scalise defended his poll from criticism by Burns: "We were running a public opinion survey this week conducted by the largest Republican polling firm in the country, Public Opinion Strategies. . . . conducted with a sample of 300 people, and it shows Scalise at 57 percent, Burns at 26 percent and undecided at 17 percent. The margin of error is 5.6 percent. We ran a fact-based public opinion survey, not a push poll."<ref>"Scalise defends integrity of GOP runoff survey," ''The New Orleans Times-Picayune, undated and no longer accessible on line.</ref>  

After the election of Republican [[Bobby Jindal]] as [[governor]] in 2007, Burns soon entered the [[special election]] called to fill Jindal's term in Louisiana's 1st congressional district. His principal rival was newly elected state Senator [[Steve Scalise]] of Jefferson Parish. Burns accused Scalise of having used push polling to mislead voters in their congressional race. Under this system, a campaign contacts voters by telephone and asks probing questions which leave a negative impression of an opposing candidate. Scalise defended his poll from criticism by Burns: "We were running a public opinion survey this week conducted by the largest Republican polling firm in the country, Public Opinion Strategies. . . . conducted with a sample of 300 people, and it shows Scalise at 57 percent, Burns at 26 percent and undecided at 17 percent. The margin of error is 5.6 percent. We ran a fact-based public opinion survey, not a push poll."<ref>"Scalise defends integrity of GOP runoff survey," ''The New Orleans Times-Picayune,'' undated and no longer accessible on line.</ref>  

In the March 8, 2008, Republican primary, Scalise polled 16,799 votes (48 percent). Burns received 9,631 votes (28 percent), and two other candidates, Ben Morris and David Simpson, shared some 24 percent of the ballots cast.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 8, 2008.</ref> In the runoff election on April 5, Scalise easily prevailed, 19,338 (58 percent) to Burns's 13,958 (41.9 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, April 5, 2008.</ref>​

In the March 8, 2008, Republican primary, Scalise polled 16,799 votes (48 percent). Burns received 9,631 votes (28 percent), and two other candidates, Ben Morris and David Simpson, shared some 24 percent of the ballots cast.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 8, 2008.</ref> In the runoff election on April 5, Scalise easily prevailed, 19,338 (58 percent) to Burns's 13,958 (41.9 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, April 5, 2008.</ref>​