But now, with the election on Saturday, Sen. “David Vitter was hammered by his GOP rivals over his involvement in the D.C. Madam” scandal.
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After the results were announced, Vitter said he will also not run for re-election to the Senate.
The focus on refugees was an attempt by Vitter to connect with voter concerns about immigration and terrorism while giving Republicans offended by his personal behavior a reason to vote for him, Pearson Cross, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said before the vote. “Maybe there will be blood in the water”.
Stephanie Grace breaks down John Bel Edwards’ gameplan to win governor’s race in ruby-red Louisiana How’d he do it?
Still, few people are ready to count him out.
Vitter’s defeat is a harsh blow in a once-promising political career. It was only past year that he pushed aside other would-be contenders to guide then-Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La.
Democrats have a lot to celebrate in a state where they’ve been shut out of statewide elected office.
And if there were 90 days, rather than a mere four weeks, between the primary and the general election there would have been more time to stitch up the wounds created by three Republicans stabbing each other while the one Democrat in the race was unmolested. But Edwards also makes a virtue of necessity by calling for Republicans and Democrats in the State Capitol to come together in common objective. After earning a law degree at Louisiana State University and working as an attorney, Edwards won election to the state House in 2008. Edwards’ position, opposing resettlement on American soil, was virtually indistinguishable from Vitter’s, though he didn’t dwell on it while campaigning.
“His campaign is built on a myth that he is some sort of a conservative, that we don’t differ on the issues, when we definitely do”, Vitter said.
In an interview, Edwards said, “It’s the last breath of a dying campaign”.
Republican David Vitter wants voters to forgive his sex scandal in his latest campaign.
That message has connected with many female voters. Democrats were ecstatic as Edwards defied expectations that only a Republican could win statewide in Louisiana.
Edwards will succeed term limited “Bobby” Jindal.
Though Vitter and Jindal have an equally icy relationship – both blamed the other for tarnishing the Republican brand in the state – Edwards insisted Vitter would represent a continuation of Jindal’s rule.
But two Republicans – U.S. Reps. Numerous factors that helped Edwards be successful-Jindal’s notable unpopularity, the current Syrian refugee controversy, and the two candidates’ relative backgrounds-uniquely fit together to spell success for Edwards.
The episode has become one of the enduring impressions from the campaign. All five endorsed Vitter for governor and either appeared with Vitter during the campaign or publicly appealed for Republicans to unify behind him. “I had decided when I decided to make this race with Wendy that I wanted to pursue new challenges outside the Senate no matter what”. “By Louisiana standards, though, it wasn’t an all-timer”. His brother is a parish sheriff.
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Vitter, 54, limped into Saturday’s runoff election after finishing far behind Edwards, 49, in the October primary, and became the standard-bearer for a Republican Party splintered by infighting. “I will always be honest”, he said. The runoff election was held yesterday, and ended with Edwards winning 56 percent of the vote. But it’s only recently that her husband has felt he had to address the issue more directly with voters.
