Baton Rouge, La. ? Boosted by the wild popularity of President Bush, Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell has climbed into a dead heat in her bid to oust Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and give the GOP a final triumph in the midterm elections.

A Terrell victory Saturday would give Republicans a 52-48 edge in the Senate and make her the first GOP senator from the state since Reconstruction.

The dominant issue in the race has been Bush. The two candidates have told voters they back the president as long as doing so doesn’t harm Louisianans — Landrieu even makes it a point to say she votes with Bush about 75 percent of the time.

But it has been Terrell — who won her first statewide election as elections commissioner just three years ago — who has cashed in. Bush raised more than $1 million for her this week, and analysts say Tuesday’s visit from the popular president could be worth 2 or 3 percentage points at the polls.

“Terrell clearly has the momentum now with the president’s visit,” Louisiana State University political scientist Wayne Parent said.

A poll released Monday by the University of New Orleans showed the race in a dead heat and pollsters predicted the outcome would depend on the number of blacks who vote overall and how many whites back Landrieu.

The poll of 700 registered voters showed a sharp split along racial lines. Terrell had 56 percent of the white vote to 31 percent for Landrieu, while Landrieu had 75 percent of the black vote to 10 percent for Terrell.

However, white independents backed Terrell, 52 percent to 31 percent, and analysts said that was because of Bush’s immense popularity.

Landrieu, who is seeking a second term, landed in Saturday’s runoff by failing to win a majority of the vote Nov. 5 in the state’s unique open primary.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Suzanne Haik Terrell, left, shakes hands with Deboreh Young at a rally in Lafayette, La. Terrell is gaining ground against Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu as Saturday's run-off election approaches.