U.S. Sen. David Vitter is up for re-election in 2016, which would normally mean that chatter regarding his seat would be at a minimum. But this is not a normal year. It’s a state election year with governor on the ballot and Vitter is part of the established field reaching for the brass ring of Louisiana politics.
Should Vitter win, there’s a trio of high-profile elected officials already positioning to run to replace him and the national media is picking up on the developing race.
In an article published early Thursday morning, National Journal reporter Andrea Drusch broke down the early field by focusing on state Treasurer John Kennedy, and Congressmen Charles Boustany of Lafayette and John Fleming of Shreveport. As should be expected, most of the speculation centers around who Vitter would appoint to replace him in the Senate should he become governor. “But Vitter has said almost nothing about what he would do in that case,” the author notes.
The story also makes mention of a super PAC created by a Kennedy ally, which could potentially be used for a federal run, and that Boustany and Fleming, like the treasurer, have endorsed Vitter while ramping up their own campaign operations.
With his own re-election to deal with this fall, Kennedy’s position is more vague, as detailed in the piece. “Rep. John Fleming has said he will run no matter who Vitter appoints, while Rep. Charles Boustany told donors he’s planning a Senate run and hired an experienced Senate campaign manager earlier this year,” writes Drusch.
