BATON ROUGE — On the heels of Sen. David Vitter’s email today to supporters hinting at an upcoming gubernatorial campaign, the Louisiana Democratic Party unveiled www.VitterforGovernor.com — a website that chronicles Vitter’s past year of openly planning for a 2015 run.
“Maybe there are still one or two voters in Louisiana honestly musing whether David Vitter is looking to move on from the Senate,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Stephen Handwerk. “However, we have always suspected Vitter had his eyes on the governor’s mansion, which is why we helpfully went out and secured a website URL for him.”
Vitter’s plans have been somewhat transparent, as he formed a super PAC earlier this year that accepts federal and state campaign contributions. The super PAC brought in more than $750,000 through the first six months of 2013, and Vitter was the “special guest” at a $5,000-a-head gator hunt fundraiser for his super PAC in September.
Vitter’s super PAC was the recipient of two maximum $100,000 state contributions this year. However, apparently that sum is insufficient for Vitter’s fundraising goals because his Washington lawyers are petitioning the Louisiana Board of Ethics to eliminate the contribution limit.
Vitter’s drive to eliminate health care benefits for congressional staffers has prompted some of his Senate colleagues to speculate whether Louisiana’s junior senator saw much of a future in Washington.
“If Vitter really wants to put some teeth behind his PR stunt, he should pledge to forego taxpayer-funded health care benefits for himself and his staff when he announces his intention to run for governor,” said Handwerk.
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