The race for governor in Louisiana took an ugly turn Friday with the release of a television ad that brought up Sen. David Vitter’s 2007 prostitution scandal.
It started during a debate this week when fellow gubernatorial candidate Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle brought up Vitter’s past use of prostitutes.
The mention was followed by Democratic State Representative John Bel Edwards’ decision to release his latest campaign video. The ad claims Vitter “answered a prostitute’s call minutes after he skipped a vote honoring 28 soldiers who gave their lives in defense of our freedom.”
Edwards is running for governor against Vitter. In September, the two were tied at 24 percent, but in recent polls Edwards has sported a double-digit lead.
In 2007, Vitter was accused of soliciting services from a Washington brothel. He admitted he had committed a “serious sin,” but his staff has steered clear of the topic in the eight years since then.
The new ad is based on records from D.C. Madam on July 11, 2007, originally obtained by Fox News.
Vitter’s camp responded by calling the ad “disgusting.”
“As a veteran, I think it’s disgusting that John Bel Edwards is using veteran’s grave stones in a gutter political attack ad,” said Ret. Army Col. Evans Spiceland, co-chairman of Veterans for Vitter.
