Despite being caught kvetching like a major league douchebag at the Dulles airport a few days ago, it looks like the week is ending on a positive note for Diaper Dave Vitter, as yet another potential primary challenger has removed his name from consideration:
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins has decided not to challenge [Vitter] in next year’s Republican primary.
“I am grateful for those who’ve encouraged me to consider returning to elected office, but this is not the right time,” wrote Perkins in a letter to state party chairman Roger Villere. “Along those lines, I would like members of the State Central Committee to know that I support Senator David Vitter’s bid for reelection in 2010.”
With Perkins out, Secretary of State Jay Dardenne may be our last hope for a major R-on-R battle here… and somehow I suspect that the odds of such a cage match occurring are getting slimmer.
Meanwhile, for Team Blue, Cillizza brings up a new potential candidate whose name has escaped my notice until now: Baton Rouge-area state Sen. Rob Marionneaux.
the Family Research Council is A-OK with prostitution?
I mean, Perkins could have said “No race for me” without explicitly backing Vitter.
I guess Perkins and the Family Research Council are cool with hookers.
The goons at the Family Research Council would have been calling for Vitter to resign immediately if the prostitute involved had been a male. Many of the folks who are involved in the FRC may have been reliable clients for the D.C. Madam. Hypocrites, plain and simple.
I’d still like to see Don Cazayoux (Marionneaux’s successor in the State House, FWIW) give this one a crack.
My impression of Marionneaux is that he’s right-wing on social issues with a populist streak on economics. That seems to be what a lot of people like in candidates running in the Deep South.
That said, I too would be quite interested in Cazayoux jumping into this race.
“Meanwhile, for Team Blue, Cillizza brings up a new potential candidate whose name has escaped my notice until now: Baton Rouge-area state Sen. Rob Marionneaux.”
How could a name like Marionneaux excape anyone’s notice?
that I know of: John Breaux. He wanted to run for governor a couple of years back but faced some questions of residency and if he was eligible to run. Such requirements, however, do not exist for federal office (to my knowledge).
Considering he seems very much willing to get back into politics, someone should check in and see if he’d like his old senate seat back – if there’s one Democrat who would instantly tip this race in our favor, it’s him.
to internecine republican battle against vitter (and the possibility of running a dem against a wingnut like perkins)
…somehow, vitter’s recent addition of airport-security-violator to his already well-publicized prostitution foibles make him seem about as vulnerable as a republican will get down there. so i say let him coast (against stormy daniels) and see what else can happen when he lets his guard down…
I hate to be like this, but the best we can probably get out of the LA-Sen is someone to the right of Mary Landreau (who just barely hung on, 6pts). I can’t help but think that this will go the way of MS, OK, or KS in that the weakened incumbent still coasts by because of the partisan makeup of the state.