On Saturday, after the election results came in, Edwards spent almost an hour talking to reporters while Vitter left without interviews. But amid continued talk of his 2007 prostitution scandal and a drumbeat of criticism about his attack-heavy campaign tactics, Vitter’s poll numbers have slipped and his negatives have spiked among voters. One political action committee has been running an “Anybody But Vitter” campaign. Will they toe the party line and grudgingly vote for Vitter, who clearly isn’t their guy; will they hold their conservative noses and go with Edwards and his Blue Dog Democrat message; or will they simply stay home? More specifically, those Republican voters who cast their primary ballot Saturday for someone other than Sen.
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Choosing Edwards “would be the same as voting to make Barack Obama governor of Louisiana”, Vitter said.
All the gubernatorial rivals said they’d need to call at least one special legislative session after taking office to work on tax reform. And since easily winning a second term in 2011, Jindal’s popularity in the state has plummeted – especially after launching his long-shot presidential campaign. “It’s about putting Louisiana first”, Bel Edwards said.
Known for his folksy charm, Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne has won statewide races three times, including two terms in his current post and a stint as secretary of state.
GOP Attorney General Buddy Caldwell will fight to hang onto his seat in the November runoff, with strong competition from Republican former congressman Jeff Landry.
The Republican Governors Association has taken the same sledgehammer approach to both races, reminding any Democrat who does not personally appear next to the president that his face can be spliced next to his. Vitter was the top Republican, though he only managed to win 23% of the vote.
An Ivy League-educated Rhodes Scholar from the New Orleans suburbs, Vitter returned to a campaign style that has worked for him in previous races. Angelle ran third in the election and Dardenne was fourth. He served on the Baton Rouge Metro Council from 1988 to 1992.
During the campaign, Vitter was battered with advertising and asides to remind voters that he had he admitted to a “very serious sin” after his phone number was connected to the famed D.C. Madam in 2007.
“We are better than this”. But the far-right senator already has a history of sordid controversies, the most notable of which included Vitter hiring prostitutes, and it probably won’t help his image that his campaign hired Frenzel, who’s accused of trying (and failing spectacularly) to spy on a local sheriff. Angelle, a French-speaking native of Breaux Bridge with a thick Cajun accent, positioned himself as the conservative candidate – without a prostitution scandal.
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My guess is Dardenne voters, collectively more moderate than Angelle’s, will have an easier time joining the “anyone but Vitter” camp.
