Candidate Profile David Vitter

Full Name: David B. Vitter Born: 05/03/61 in New Orleans, Louisiana Political Affiliation: Republican Current Office Louisiana Senate (jr) Current Residence: Metairie, Louisiana Spouse: Wendy Vitter Children: Sophie, Lise, Airey, Jack Religion: Roman Catholic Education: B.A. Harvard; M.A Economics/History Oxford; J.D. Tulane Law School Occupation: Politician, Lawyer, Law professor

Biography:
David Vitter is a local of the Metairie and the New Orleans area. He graduated from De La Salle High school, an all-boys Catholic school, in 1979. From there he attended Harvard for undergraduate and then Oxford for a Masters in Economics/History before returning to New Orleans for Law School at Tulane. Prior to a life in politics, Vitter was an Adjunct Professor at Tulane Law School, and an attorney. His wife, Wendy, was a former prosecutor. In 1992 Vitter was elected to his first position, a Louisiana House of Representatives member, he remained there until 1999. In 1999 Vitter was elected via a special election as the Louisiana 1st congressional districts U.S. House Representative. In 2002, Vitter was preparing to run for Louisiana Governor before accusations of a relationship with a prostitute caused him to drop out. In 2004 Vitter ran against a democratic incumbent for U.S Senate. During the campaign allegations were made about an affair with a prostitute, which Vitter denied. Despite this, Vitter in 2005 became the first popularly elected Louisiana Republican Senator. In 2007, David Vitters phone number was found on a list of phone records by convicted felon Deborah Jeane Palfrey, also known as the D.C. Madam. Vitter then in a press conference admitted to sins with the prostitutes. Again despite scandals, Vitter easily was reelected for U.S. Senate in 2010. Recently he has sponsored and pushed legislation that requires government officials and the President to acquire healthcare through The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. As of September 2013, Vitter has been involved in disputes with fellow senator Barbara Boxer, whom he accused of bribery.

Electoral History: *Vitter also was elected the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992-1999, and the U.S.
1999 Special Election 1st Congressional District Louisiana House of Representatives Party Republican Republican Candidate David Vitter David Treen %Votes received % 51% 49%

2000 1st Congressional District Louisiana House of Representatives Party Republican Democrat Democrat Independent Independent Candidate David Vitter Michael Armato Cary Deaton Martin Rosenthal John Paul Simanonok %Votes received % 80% 13% 5% 1% 1%

2002 1st Congressional District Louisiana House of Representatives Party Republican Republican Republican Independent Candidate David Vitter Monica Monica Robert Namer Ian Hawxhurst %Votes received % 81.47% 11.22% 4% 3.3%

U.S. Senate, Louisiana General Election, 2004 Party Republican Democratic Democratic Democratic Democratic Independent Independent Candidate David Vitter Christopher John John Kennedy Arthur A. Morrell Sam Houston Melton, Jr. Richard M. Fontanesi R.A. "Skip" Galan Total Votes %Votes received % 51% 29.3% 14.9% 2.6% 0.7% 0.8% 0.7% Votes 943,014 542,150 275,821 47,222 12,289 15,097 12,463 1,848,056

U.S. Senate General Election, Louisiana, 2010 Party Republican Democratic Independent Independent Independent Independent Libertarian Reform Independent Independent Independent Independent Candidate David Vitter (Incumbent) Charlie Melancon Michael Karlton Brown R. A. "Skip" Galan Milton Gordon Sam Houston Melton, Jr. Randall Todd Hayes William R. McShan Michael Lane "Mike" Spears Ernest D. Woolon William Robert "Bob" Lang, Jr. Thomas G. "Tommy" LaFarge Total Votes % Vote received % 56.6% 37.7% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4% 0.3% 1.1% 0.5% 0.7% 0.6% 0.5% 0.3% Votes 715,415 476,572 9,973 7,474 4,810 3,780 13,957 5,879 9,190 8,167 5,734 4,043 1,264,994

Strengths and Weaknesses:

David Vitter is an extreme conservative, in a conservative state. In his 2004 and 2010 elections he destroyed the competition, winning by 21.7% and 18.9% respectively. Vitter is as standard as a republican as can be, voting with the Republican party 86.3% of the time according to opencongress.org. Amongst gun rights advocates Vitters voting record helps him as he has voted against limiting magazine capacity and against requiring background checks for all firearm purchases. As a Louisiana representative replacing former Klansman David Duke, Vitters reforms paint him in a positive light. He fought against pay raises for gambling and legislatures and worked to reveal the shady dealings of many other legislatures, who had been giving scholarships to fellow lawmakers or in some cases their own children. He also had the Louisiana Constitution amended to limit the terms of representatives to three 4 year terms. As a currently elected state senator, Vitter has strong name recognition, especially when compared to a local mayor such as Kip Holden. Vitters recent Senate legislation requiring government officials to acquire healthcare through Obamacare, will likely be popular in Louisiana. Vitter is also favored in the polls 59% to 41% against Holden. Although he is strong in some areas, Vitter has a lot of weaknesses. Vitters prostitution scandal, while dormant for the moment, would blow up in an election scenario. Also, it is worth

mentioning that while he admitted to relations with a prostitute in 2007 when confronted with proof, he first denied the allegations in 2002. It is also likely that this scandal will hurt him the most amongst his core supporters, white conservatives. His voting record on education could be used to widen the gap between him and young voters, since he voted against several bills that would limit the interest on student loans. Also, his voting record could easily make him seem like someone who simply follows the party line. Vitter has been known to continuously dodge the prostitution scandal and has said very little on the issue, it would be in our best interest to put him on the defensive in this area. David Vitters margins of victory are little to be concerned with, especially in 2004 when no strong opposing candidate emerged. In a state where governor Jindal is polling lower than ever, it should be easy to make a similar republican candidate feel like more of the same to voter. Lastly, Vitter quit during preparations for a 2003 governor race after allegations of improper relations with a prostitute. This should also be an area to focus an attack and portray him as someone who quit covering up a scandal.