Vitter will not seek re-election to US Senate

Each runoff contender sought to tie his opponent to an unpopular figure in Louisiana: Edwards claimed Vitter would represent a “Jindal third term”, while Vitter tagged Edwards as an “Obama liberal”. “I’m not doing this anymore”. Edwin Edwards and John Bel Edwards are not related. David Vitter in Sat.’s election after a marketing crusade dominated by Vitter’s 2007 prostitution scandal. After his defeat, Vitter announced he would not seek another Senate term next year. He overcame it to win re-election in 2010, but the issue returned with a vengeance in this race, as Edwards released a series of devastating ads that hurt him with conservatives in the state. “That’s what he tried to make people believe”. Edwards painted the race as a referendum on Vitter’s character and integrity and suggested the US senator didn’t measure up in such a competition.

“Vitter is dropping in the polls and feeling his lead slipping away, so his paranoia and desperation are kicking in”, said Republican pollster Rolf McCollister, The Daily Beast reported. The U.S. senator also was hampered by high disapproval ratings for his fellow Republican, Jindal, who is blamed for the state’s financial problems.

Already damaged by the various vice allegations, Mr Vitter ended the primary 14 points behind Mr Edwards. “It don’t happen like that very often”.

“Make no mistake, Louisiana is a deep red state and our Republican brand is strong”, Villere said in a statement lamenting a “disappointing result in the gubernatorial race”.

Republicans are losing control of Louisiana’s agenda to perhaps the most left-wing Democrat in the state’s history, and certainly the most left-wing Democrat in modern times.

Now that the 2016 election shapes up as an ordinary contest for an open Senate seat, it likely will draw a host of contenders, especially on the Republican side. There is no shortage of those who are seen as interested, including U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany and John Fleming.

In an interview after Vitter’s announcement, Kennedy declined to say whether he would run for the office now that Vitter is stepping down. He angered Vitter when he refused to endorse the Senate against Edwards in the runoff election. Edwards has supported Medicaid expansion in Louisiana, which Jindal has rejected.

Social issues, in any case, will be far down his to-do list.

Edwards’ victory will give Louisiana a chance to reverse eight years of damage done by Bobby Jindal. As fruitless as that effort often was, it seemed to clarify what his pitch would be in a governor’s race.

Among them: calling a special legislative session in February sometime after Mardi Gras to address a $500 million mid-year shortfall before the regular session in March where the state will be $1 billion short in fiscal year 2016-17. “People are looking at the individual”. A 1988 West Point graduate, Edwards served as an Army Ranger, among other duties, during an eight-year military career.

“The important thing to me was the budget, the state budget”, he said. Starkel said Edwards had been particularly adept at stealth assault drills.

Edwards brings a varied background to the governor’s office. Edwards started his campaign as a little-known lawmaker from rural Tangipahoa Parish, about 75 miles north of New Orleans. Mary L. Landrieu, who was soundly beaten in a re-election attempt a year ago.

Edwards benefited from a primary in which he largely escaped attacks while the Republicans slammed each other. In the runoff, as money began pouring into the race, Edwards proved adept on offense, hitting Vitter hard on the prostitution scandal and keeping the focus on personality over party.

“The man can not tell a joke”, Jones said.