A new JMC Analytics survey in Louisiana finds John Bel Edwards (D) leading Sen. David Vitter (R) in the race for governor, 51% to 35%, with 13% undecided.
Vitter Turns Race to Terrorism
In an attempt to save his struggling campaign for Louisiana governor, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) released a new ad that tries to make the election about terrorism.
David Weigel: “His closing argument depends on making Democratic nominee John Bel Edwards, a state representative who responded cautiously to the refugee aspect of the crisis, into a refugee-hugging accomplice of President Obama.”
Money Pours Into Louisiana Governor’s Race
“Even in a state that traditionally spends a lot to elect a governor, this year’s campaign already has churned through a phenomenal amount of money and probably will end up being the most expensive in Louisiana history,” the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
“The candidates — and the super PACs that support them — spent almost $31 million through Nov. 1, according to disclosures filed with the Louisiana Board of Ethics. The most expensive gubernatorial race on record was the 2007 election, in which the four major candidates spent about $32 million.”
“This year’s total doesn’t include any of the money state Rep. John Bel Edwards, the Democratic candidate, and U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Republican, spent over the past two weeks.”
Vitter Still Way Behind in Louisiana
A new Market Research Insight poll in Louisiana finds John Bel Edwards (D) leading Sen. David Vitter (R) in the race for governor by a wide margin, 52% to 38%.
A University of New Orleans poll finds Edwards leading Vitter, 56% to 34%.
Turnout In Louisiana Expected to Rise
“Louisiana is half-way into early voting in the runoff race for governor, and voter turnout appears to be outpacing the early vote in the Oct. 24 primary,” the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
“John Couvillion of JMC Analytics has reviewed the figures and says in a new blog post that voter turnout could be 45 to 50 percent in the Nov. 21 runoff election. Voter turnout in the primary was just 39 percent.”
Quote of the Day
“You’re a liar, and you’re a cheater.”
— John Bel Edwards (D), quoted by the New Orleans Times Picayune, in a gubernatorial debate with Sen. David Vitter (R).
Re-Election Doesn’t Look Good for Vitter
If Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) loses the race for Louisiana governor next week, “there is buzz among Republicans in Louisiana and Washington that he would not run for reelection to the Senate in 2016,” the Washington Post reports.
“A loss in the gubernatorial contest would open him up to a serious GOP challenger, and it would be much harder to hit up the donors who have spent this year funding his campaign. Vitter only had $26,216 in his federal campaign account at the end of September.”
Vitter Addresses Prostitution Scandal
Sen. David Vitter addresses his past indiscretions with a prostitute in a new ad: “I failed my family.”
Edwards Leads for Louisiana Governor
A new Triumph Campaigns poll in Louisiana finds John Bel Edwards (D) leading David Vitter (R) in the race for governor, 49% to 41%.
Dardenne Will Endorse Edwards in Louisiana
Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne (R), one of three Republican opponents of John Bel Edwards (D) during the bruising gubernatorial primary, plans to endorse Edwards this morning in his race against Sen. David Vitter (R), the New Orleans Times Picayune reports.
“Endorsing a Democrat in a high-stakes general election carries significant risk for the Republican Dardenne’s future political career, particularly if Vitter is ultimately elected governor. But Dardenne has said he has no plans to run for political office beyond his campaign for governor.”
Vitter Trailing Badly in Louisiana
A new WVLA/JMC Analytics poll in Louisiana finds John Bel Edwards (D) leading Sen. David Vitter (R) in the race for governor by 20 points, 52% to 32%.
A new Market Research Insight poll shows Edwards leading by 16 points, 54% to 38%.
Race for Louisiana Governor Is a Toss Up
The Cook Political Report gives the runoff for Louisiana governor between John Bel Edwards and David Vitter a rating of “toss up.”
“The fact that Vitter isn’t currently part of state government or an ally of GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is very unpopular even among Republicans, was also thought to be an asset. Instead, being a member of a more unpopular U.S. Congress could very well be a bigger liability. Finally, despite the well-publicized rift between Vitter and Jindal, the argument that electing Vitter would simply be a continuation of Jindal’s polices seemed to stick.”
Vitter Spy Found Behind Air Conditioning Unit
The New York Times says the fundamentals still favor Sen. David Vitter (R) in the runoff for Louisiana governor — unless “bizarre developments” in the final 48-hour stretch of the primary prove damaging.
“The political world was astonished Friday night when news emerged that a private investigator conducting opposition research for the Vitter campaign was arrested in the New Orleans suburbs. The arrest arose from an almost comical sequence of events… According to Sheriff Normand, some in the group noticed a man who appeared to be filming their conversation with a small camera. When the man was confronted, he left the cafe and took off through the surrounding backyards. After a brief search, sheriff’s deputies found him hiding behind an air-conditioning unit. He was charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.”
Edwards and Vitters Advance to Louisiana Runoff
Louisiana state Rep. John Bel Edwards (D) and Sen. David Vitter (R) “will continue their heated battle for governor in a Nov. 21 runoff after finishing 1-2 in the primary election Saturday,” the New Orleans Times Picayune reports.
“The Edwards-Vitter pairing was no surprise. Edwards was all but guaranteed 30 percent of the vote as the only major Democrat running; he ended up with 40 percent. Vitter was the candidate of choice for conservative Republicans, but was a distant second with 23 percent.”
Vitter Investigator Arrested Day Before Primary
“A private investigator working for Sen. David Vitter’s gubernatorial campaign was arrested Friday and charged with illegally recording a conversation involving a local sheriff, throwing a last-minute wrench into Saturday’s all-party primary as other campaigns pounced on the news,” Politico reports.
Woman Claims Vitter Got Her Pregnant
Wendy Ellis, a prostitute who ultimately had a three-year relationship with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), tells Jason Brad Berry that she had a child by Vitter. She says that Vitter told her to get an abortion when she was four months pregnant but she refused.
Ellis says she’s telling her story now because she is terminally ill and wanted to “set the record straight.”
Competitive Race for Louisiana Governor
A new Baton Rouge Advocate/WWL-TV poll in Louisiana finds Sen. David Vitter (R) and Jon Bel Edwards (D) deadlocked at 24% in the governor’s race, followed by Scott Angelle (R) at 15% and Jay Dardenne (R) at 14%.
Vitter Appears Vulnerable in Governor’s Race
A new Public Policy Polling survey of Louisiana voters finds that Sen. David Vitter “has seen a large decline in his popularity over the last year, and that while he’s still favored to make the runoff for Governor he is in a bad position when it comes to a head to head match up with John Bel Edwards.”
Edwards now leads Vitter, 50% to 38%.
Key findings: “Vitter has become quite unpopular, with only 34% of voters rating him favorably to 51% with a negative opinion of him… A year ago Vitter looked like a clear favorite but he’s become very unpopular in the time since, and now it appears that there is a very good chance he will be defeated this fall.”
