Democrat state Rep. John Bel Edwards has cut a TV ad attacking Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter specifically about Vitter's prostitution scandal for the first time during the Louisiana gubernatorial campaign.
Though Edwards has questioned Vitter's character on the campaign trail and in advertisements, the new ad is the first time Edwards has addressed the scandal specifically and runs counter to Edwards' tactics so far.
A photo of a young Edwards in his U.S. Army Ranger uniform appears first in the ad with the narrator saying, "The choice for governor couldn't be more clear. John Bel Edwards, who answered his country's call and served as a ranger in the 82nd Airborne Division …"
And then, a photo of Vitter wearing a dark trench coat with a cellphone to his ear appears on the screen with the narrator saying, "or David Vitter, who answered a prostitute's call minutes after he skipped a vote honoring 28 soldiers who gave their lives in defense of our freedom."
"David Vitter chose prostitutes over patriots," the narrator concludes. "Now, the choice is yours."
Edwards' ad will run statewide beginning Saturday, which coincides with the early voting period. Election Day is Nov. 21.
The vote to which the ad refers was on House Concurrent Resolution 39 in the 107th Congress on Feb. 27, 2001 when Vitter was a U.S. representative. It honored soldiers killed by an Iraqi missile attack on Feb. 25, 1991, during Operation Desert Storm. Records do show Vitter missed the vote.
Edwards campaign also provided the previously published list of alleged "D.C. Madam" calls, one of which was to Vitter that day, although the call didn't come during the vote.
In 2007 Vitter confessed to a "serious sin" after the "D.C. Madam" scandal broke, but he has never provided details about the serious sin.
When asked why Edwards chose to go negative now, campaign spokesman Mary-Patricia Wray said, "Voters have a right to know who the candidates really are. David Vitter's hypocrisy should not got unchecked, and this is yet another reason why Louisianians can't trust him."
Vitter's campaign spokesman Luke Bolar said Edwards' ad is an attempt to distract voters from Edwards' record.
"John Bel Edwards is resorting to gutter personal attacks because he does not want anyone to know his liberal record — raising taxes, supporting Obamacare, opposing oil and gas industry, opposing school choice and on and on," Bolar said. "David Vitter, a Louisiana conservative, is completely focused on leading and building a brighter future for Louisiana and he's done more to help veterans in Louisiana than anyone."
