The 2010 Louisiana Senate race, in which scandal-plagued incumbent Republican David Vitter is running for re-election, just keeps getting more interesting.
BayouBuzz.com reported today that Army Gen. Russel Honoré, best known for his role in coordinating military relief in Hurricane Katrina, is strongly considering a Republican primary challenge against Vitter.
Honoré reportedly describes himself as “pro-life and pro-family,” which could provide an interesting contrast to Vitter — who is also pro-life and pro-family, but is also known for patronizing prostitutes. Another famous description of Honoré is the one given to him by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin: A “John Wayne dude.”
Honoré is of an African-American Creole background, and could provide the Republicans with a high-profile spokesman of a minority background. (Yes, the party does have Michael Steele and Bobby Jindal, but those two haven’t worked out so well.)
Democrats have united around Blue Dog Congressman Charlie Melancon. If Honoré does run, the challenge for the GOP establishment will be in deciding what manner they’ll back the incumbent — or whether they might subtly cut him loose.
