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.
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%.
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.”
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Sen. David Vitter’s (R-LA) 2007 prostitution scandal has “been danced around in candidates’ forums for months, but the senator was confronted with a rare, direct question about his ‘serious sin’ during a public endorsement meeting Monday night,” the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Said Vitter: “This question was planted as a gotcha question at me. I’ve spoken about my past and how my family has dealt with that. If that’s not good enough for you, then that’s not good enough. But it’s good enough for Wendy.”
Gawker: “Derek Myers, a television reporter with NBC affiliate WVLA in Baton Rouge, was fired from the network Tuesday after asking U.S. Senator and Louisiana gubernatorial candidate David Vitter about his admitted history of patronizing prostitutes. Myers believes that he was terminated because Vitter’s campaign threatened to pull $250,000 in advertising from WVLA over the confrontation.”
“I show up. I go to forums even when I don’t know what the questions are going to be. Oh, I have not frequented prostitution—and certainly have not done that sitting on the floor of the United States Congress.”
— Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne (R), quoted by WRKF, contrasting himself with 2015 gubernatorial rival Sen. David Vitter (R).
A new Market Insight poll in Louisiana finds John Bel Edwards (D) leading the gubernatorial jungle primary with 30%, followed by David Vitter (R) at 24%, Scott Angelle (R) at 14% and Jay Dardenne (R) at 12%.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D) officially ruled out a run for governor in the October election, saying Monday his focus remains on his home city, the AP reports.
National Journal: “Bobby Jindal and David Vitter have every reason to be friends. Jindal would love to have Vitter praise him as he looks to make the leap from Louisiana governor’s mansion to the White House. Vitter, meanwhile, would benefit from Jindal’s support as he campaigns to take the outgoing governor’s job. But none of that is happening. Instead, years’ worth of bad blood between the two is spilling out, hurting both Republicans as they attempt to leap to higher office.”
“The pair’s poor relationship dates back to 2007, when Jindal was in the midst of his second run for governor and Vitter was caught up in the D.C. Madam prostitution scandal. Jindal made no effort to defend Vitter then, and three years later, the rift was cemented when Jindal declined to endorse Vitter during his 2010 bid to keep his Senate seat.”
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) “pretty much dismissed any notion that she would run again for governor, the Senate or any other public office,” Politico reports.
Said Landrieu: “Oh Lord, no. Well, let me say, I’m not going to say a definite ‘no’ about any of those two. I’ve been trained to never say no. But it is highly, highly unlikely.”
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) is “very interested” in running for Senate in 2016 if Sen. David Vitter (R) is elected Louisiana governor next year, Roll Call reports.
“Louisiana only wrapped up the 2014 Senate race a few days ago, but soon state operatives may start thinking about another race. Vitter has already announced an exploratory committee to run for governor in 2015. If Vitter wins, Fleming said, he wants to succeed him in the Senate.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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