He said he was going to make his decision this month, and he has.
From the e-mail which is going out to his list this morning…
Dear —-,
Since you are such a long-time friend, I wanted you to be among the first to know, directly from me. After much thought, prayer, and discussion with Wendy and our children, I’ve decided to run for Governor of Louisiana in 2015.
Let me first assure you, this decision will in no way limit the critical work I’m doing today in the U.S. Senate. Representing you and your family will continue to be my top priority.
But I believe that as our next Governor, I can have a bigger impact addressing the unique challenges and opportunities we face in Louisiana . . . helping us truly reach our full potential.
We’ll do this by building excellence in K-12 and higher education, offering every child in Louisiana the skills to compete effectively and achieve his or her dreams. We’ll do it by making Louisiana more attractive to vibrant businesses, growing the good-paying jobs we need today and tomorrow. We’ll do it by reforming taxes and spending, spurring economic growth and creating budget stability.
And through it all, we’ll do it by fighting political corruption and demanding government reform and accountability. That’s a battle I’ve long waged. The difference is I’ll have so many more tools as Governor to do things right and protect taxpayer dollars.
Although an active campaign is still a year away, I’ll start preparing for it immediately by doing what I’ve always done, including as our U.S. Senator. That’s listening to you, knowing that I sure don’t have all the answers.
I’ve held over 342 in-person town hall meetings, 128 telephone town halls, and countless other meetings in every parish of our state. I’ll continue those travels starting tomorrow, listening directly to Louisiana families about what most concerns them.
And then, after Listening and Learning, I will LEAD. Because I’m running to take on the important issues and make the hard decisions, not to avoid them or play politics with them.
This will be my last political job, elected or appointed, period. So my only agenda will be to do what’s best for all Louisianians, from our best and brightest to our most vulnerable.
Wendy and I value your friendship, support, and prayers so much. Please continue to bless us with those gifts.
There isn’t much point in doing a lot of analysis behind this, as we’ve already done it here, here and here.
Vitter’s entry into the race, with Jay Dardenne already in, probably precludes anybody else – like John Kennedy or Scott Angelle, for example – from running for governor in 2015.
At this point the real question is whether the Democrats will stand pat with John Bel Edwards as their candidate or whether someone will induce Mitch Landrieu to jump in. Landrieu is the only Democrat in the state with the slightest chance of getting past Vitter or Dardenne and making the runoff.
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