Top GOPer Crosses Party Lines To Endorse Vitter’s Dem Opponent

Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, right, speaks at the Southeast Super Region Committee Gubernatorial Forum in New Orleans, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Fellow gubernatorial candidate Public Service Commissioner Scott Ange... Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, right, speaks at the Southeast Super Region Committee Gubernatorial Forum in New Orleans, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Fellow gubernatorial candidate Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, left, looks on. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) MORE LESS
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One of the Republican candidates Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) defeated in Louisiana’s gubernatorial primary crossed party lines to endorse Vitter’s Democratic rival on Thursday morning.

Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne (R) endorsed state Rep. John Bel Edwards (D) in a news conference at Louisiana State University, according to The New Orleans Times-Picayune.

“The Republican brand has been damaged,” he said, as quoted by the Times-Picayune. “David Vitter will further damage that brand.”

Dardenne’s former campaign manager, Jay Vicknair, recently joined Vitter’s runoff campaign. But losing Dardenne’s endorsement is a blow to Vitter, who was trailing Edwards by 12 points in a Democratic poll taken Oct. 26-28. The runoff election is on Nov. 21.

This post has been updated.

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Notable Replies

  1. That’s brave. If brave means your party is already 12 points in the hole and probably going to lose anyway. What’s a little payback when it costs you nothing.

  2. EGGS-cellent!

  3. Avatar for ajm ajm says:

    It’s driving a silver nail into the coffin of a blood sucker at a significant cost to yourself. It may not be needed but you want to be sure.

    I applaud the decision. More Republicans need to have the guts to start reining in their crazies.

  4. Fair point.

  5. It works for me. I have been mildly optimistic about this race; this moves me up to moderately optimistic.

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