David Vitter

David Vitter
United States Senator from Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2005 Serving with Mary Landrieu
Preceded by	John Breaux
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2011)
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Wendy Baldwin Vitter
Alma mater	Harvard University

David Bruce Vitter (born May 3, 1961) is an American politician, currently serving as the junior U.S. Senator from Louisiana. He was formerly a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, first elected in 1999, to represent the suburban First Congressional District of Louisiana. Recently Vitter has been embroiled in the Deborah Jeane Palfrey sex scandal.

Early life, career, and family

Vitter was born in New Orleans to Audrey Malvina St. Raymond and Albert Leopold Vitter. He was educated at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar), and the law school of Tulane University. He was a lawyer and a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999, when he entered the U.S. House. He occupies the Senate seat formerly held by Democrat John B. Breaux.

Vitter and his wife Wendy, a former prosecutor, have three daughters, Sophie, Lise, and Airey, and a son, Jack.

United States Senate

Election

Vitter won the Senate contest outright in the November 2, 2004, senatorial jungle primary to replace John Breaux, which coincided with the regular presidential election. He defeated outright a field of opponents, including two major Democrats, then Seventh Congressional District Congressman Christopher John and state Treasurer John Kennedy (no relation to the Massachusetts Kennedys).

While Vitter is widely believed to be the first Republican Senator elected in Louisiana, that title actually goes to John S. Harris who took his office as a senator in 1868. However, Vitter is the first to be elected by the general populace of Louisiana, while Harris was chosen by the state legislature before the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution made that procedure obsolete.

Former state Senator Daniel Wesley Richey, a Baton Rouge political consultant, directed Vitter's grassroots organization in the race, with assistance from Richey's longtime ally, former state Representative Louis E. "Woody" Jenkins of Baton Rouge, himself a defeated U.S. Senate candidate in 1978, 1980, and 1996.

Hurricane Katrina

In the wake of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, while New Orleans' flood levels were still rising in all areas, Vitter made an inaccurate statement that received notable media attention.

"In the metropolitan area in general, in the huge majority of areas, it's not rising at all. It's the same or it may be lowering slightly. In some parts of New Orleans, because of the 17th Street breach, it may be rising and that seemed to be the case in parts of downtown. I don't want to alarm everybody that, you know, New Orleans is filling up like a bowl. That's just not happening," said Vitter on August 30. [1]

In later days, Vitter gave the federal government's emergency response an "F grade" during an interview on Fox News's Hannity & Colmes, but avoided criticising President George W. Bush. [2] Vitter's performance during Hurricane Katrina was later documented in historian Douglas Brinkley's book, The Great Deluge.

In light of the gun confiscations during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he was the senatorial sponsor of the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act to prohibit federal funding for the confiscation of legally held firearms during a disaster.

Same sex marriage views

In June 2006, in line with several of his Republican colleagues in the Senate, Vitter came out strongly in favor of amending the U.S. Constitution to ban same sex marriages. He said, "I don't believe there's any issue that's more important than this one ... I think this debate is very healthy, and it's winning a lot of hearts and minds. I think we're going to show real progress."[3]

At a Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee luncheon, Vitter also compared gay marriage to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, stating, "It's the crossroads where Katrina meets Rita. I always knew I was against same-sex unions." [4]

DC Madam scandal

Vitter's phone number was listed in the records of Deborah Jeane Palfrey's Pamela Martin and Associates, accused of being a prostitution ring. Vitter released the following statement:

"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible. Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there-with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way,"

2008 Endorsement

On March 12, 2007 Senator Vitter announced his support for Rudy Giuliani and will serve as the Southern Regional Chair. “I believe the Republican Party needs to always be the party of free market economics and reform. Rudy implemented those principles as Mayor of New York by cutting taxes 23 times, making government more efficient and moving welfare recipients into jobs. It’s exactly the kind of conservative reform the federal government needs”. He also commented in reguards to Giuliani's social views "It's very clear to me that he's not running for president to advance some liberal social agenda".

Electoral History

Louisiana U.S. Senate Election 2004

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	David Vitter	943,014	51.0
	Democratic	Chris John	542,150	29.4
	Democratic	John N. Kennedy	275,821	15.1

External links

• United States Senator David Vitter official Senate site
• United States Congress. "David Vitter (id: v000127)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Federal Election Commission — David Vitter campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — David Vitter issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — David Vitter campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Senator David Vitter (LA) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — David Vitter profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: David Vitter voting record
• http://vitter.org website of the Vitter family, maintained by David Vitter's brother Jeffrey Vitter