Through a video on his campaign Web site, Congressman Charlie Melancon officially announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate this morning, bringing to a close months of speculation and posturing that had all but assured he would enter the 2010 contest. Melancon, a Democrat and native of Napoleonville, has targeted incumbent U.S. Sen. David Vitter in what promises to be a nasty and tumultuous race.
Vitter, a Republican from Metairie, is ripe for attacks over his connection to a Beltway-based prostitution ring, while Melancon has already been battered for his connections to President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. To be certain, it’ll be a battle of values, with both sides investing substantial resources to reach voters statewide.
In the video news release, Melancon bills himself as a “Southern Democrat” and says the state “deserves better” that it’s sitting junior senator. “Louisiana needs a different approach,” Melancon says. “More bipartisan. More disciplined. More honest and with a whole lot more common sense.”
The announcement, while long expected, reverberates on many different levels. It means Shaw CEO Jim Bernhard, a Democrat, has been coaxed out of the race for good. But it also means that Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, a Republican, is on the hot seat. He’s been rumored to be looking at the race and his camp has remained silent—a tactic that should guarantee him weeks or months of speculative ink and TV time, should he want to draw it out.
Now that Melancon’s campaign is official, it’s likely that Vitter’s repeated attacks on Melancon, with many happening in town hall meetings, will no longer go unanswered. Sources close to both campaigns suggest the mud could start flying as early as September, when lawmakers reconvene work in Washington.
As for the 3rd Congressional District, which Melancon now occupies, he’ll serve out the remainder of his term, meaning the Senate race is do or die. Months before he even made his announcement, politicos were lining up for his seat. State Rep. Nickie Monica, a LaPlace Republican, is already campaigning, while Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle is seriously considering his chances and is open to running under the GOP banner. He’s a Democrat now. Hunt Downer, a Houma native and former Republican speaker of the state House; state Rep. Gary Smith, a Norco Democrat; and political novice Ravi Sangisetty, a New Orleans attorney by way of Houma, say they’re interested as well.
