The Comeback of David Vitter

David Vitter

David Bruce Vitter is the senior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Vitter first entered the U.S. Senate in 2004, after defeating a number of Democratic opponents in a jungle primary. He won a second term in 2010. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives as, representing the suburban 1st congressional district of Louisiana. Vitter currently serves as the Deputy Majority Whip. 

Bio

Born: May 3, 1961 (Age 53) New Orleans, LA

Residence: Metairie, LA

Education: Tulane University Law School, Oxford University, Harvard University

Family: Married to Wendy Vitter. They have 4 children: Sophie, Lise, Airey and Jack.

Religious Affiliation: Roman Catholic

Previous Occupation: Lawyer and adjunct law professor at Tulane University

Committees 

• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (Chair)
• Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
• Committee on the Judiciary

DC Madam Scandal

In early July, 2007, Hustler magazine  identified Vitter's phone number among a published list of phone records of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, a.k.a. DC Madam, convicted by the U.S. government for running a prostitution service. Vitter released a statement, followed by a press conference, in which he took responsibility for his "sin" and asked for forgiveness. 

National Republicans very quickly absolved Vitter, fearing that his resignation will mean that Democratic governor Kathleen Blanco will appoint a Democrat to fill his seat. 

here were renewed calls for Vitter's resignation during a sexting scandal involving U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner in June 2011 (CNN).

Run for Governor

David Vitter announced on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 that he will run for governor in 2015. Vitter is the first sitting or ex-U.S. Senator to launch a gubernatorial bid in Louisiana since 1904, when Democrat Newton Blanchard was elected.

Not to be deterred by the public excoriation in the wake of the DC Madam Scandal, Vitter had begun laying the groundwork for his ascendance in his home state as far back as his days in the state legislature. There, he had successfully pushed for term limits for legislators, forcing many of the lawmakers he had served alongside to give up their seats in 2007. Vitter began recruiting conservative candidates to replace them and helped fund campaigns through the Louisiana Committee for a Republican Majority (LCRM), a PAC he had co-founded a couple years earlier. He also personally reached out to Democrats in conservative districts, encouraging them to get ahead of the state’s rightward turn. Scott Hobbs, a Louisiana-based political consultant, estimated that Vitter helped “at least sixty to seventy percent [of Republicans in the legislature] in some way” between 2007 and 2011. The end-result is that Vitter today has the backing of many of the state legislators in Baton Rouge, a fact which has earned him the ire of the current governor, Bobby Jindal (New Republic).

About Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. The state has roughly 4.5 million people, 62.6% of whom are White, 30.4% are Black, 2.8% are Asian, and the rest belong to other minorities. Energy and tourism constitute the major drivers of the Louisiana economy.

Links

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113661/bobby-jindal-and-david-vitters-feud
http://www.vitter.senate.gov/about-david
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/16/vitter/index.html
http://louisiana.gov/Explore/About_Louisiana/