Republican Jay Dardenne, who ran unsuccessfully for governor, is rebuffing GOP contender David Vitter in the runoff election and backing Democratic candidate John Bel Edwards instead.
As The Associated Press reports, Edwards hopes Dardenne’s endorsement, announced at a press conference on the LSU campus this morning, will make Republican voters feel more comfortable with supporting a Democrat in the Nov. 21 runoff.
It comes as a number of polls show Edwards in the lead. Vitter is trying to consolidate Republican support in a conservative state where no Democrats hold statewide office, but his attacks against GOP opponents in the primary have angered some among his own party.
Dardenne, Louisiana’s lieutenant governor and a long-time state elected official, ran fourth in the primary, garnering 15% of the vote. He accused Vitter of using misleading attack ads and divisive campaign tactics. He has described Vitter as ineffective and “vicious.”
Republican Scott Angelle, who finished third in the primary with 19%, has not offered an endorsement in the runoff. Edwards led the field with 40% in the primary, while Vitter got 23% of the vote.
