Vitter welcomes debates; addresses 'spy'

Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter, criticized by his opponents as a debate dodger in Louisiana's gubernatorial primary election, said he's willing to take the stage multiple times against Democrat state Rep. John Bel Edwards leading up to the Nov. 21 runoff election between the two candidates.

Vitter finished second in the primary Saturday with 23 percent of the vote behind Edwards' first-place finish with 40 percent. The senator said work in Washington prevented him from appearing in more televised debates during the primary, but he plans to spend the four weeks leading to the runoff in Louisiana.

"If there are critical votes where I can make a difference I'll go to Washington, but otherwise I'll be campaigning here until the runoff," Vitter said in an interview with Gannett Louisiana. "It's a short runoff — a sprint — and there's a lot to do.

"I look forward to debating. It's a great way to contrast our visions."

And the contrast, Vitter said, is stark.

"(Edwards) wants Louisiana to take a hard left," Vitter said. "As I said (after the election Saturday night), John Bel Edwards isn't just a casual supporter of President Obama; he is a true believer."

Edwards hopes to become the first Democrat to be elected to statewide office in Louisiana in seven years, the last time Mary Landrieu was elected to the U.S. Senate. In a post-primary press conference in Baton Rouge Sunday, Edwards said he is "squarely in the mainstream" of Louisiana politics.

And although Vitter and Edwards agree on some social issues, "the areas in which we disagree are a lot more significant," Vitter said.

Vitter said he has a record of fighting against Congressional perks for members, "while one of the first votes (Edwards) made was for a 123 percent legislative pay raise (which Gov. Bobby Jindal vetoed)," the senator said. "I've fought and led the way for welfare reform; he's against work requirements for welfare recipients. He's consistently supported Obamacare, and not just the expansion of Medicaid, but all of the key tenets."

The senator also addressed one of the strangest incidents of the campaign in which a man was arrested Friday after Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand accused the suspect of spying on the sheriff's coffee club and recording the sheriff and his friends on video at the behest of Vitter. The story was first reported by The Baton Rouge Advocate.

Robert J. Frenzel, a private investigator from Dallas, works for J.W. Bearden & Associates, which the Vitter campaign commissioned for opposition research.

Vitter said he did not personally direct Frenzel to spy on Normand, a longtime political foil. The senator said he believes Normand, a Republican who was re-elected Saturday with almost 90 percent of the vote, seized on the opportunity to create an election eve embarrassment for Vitter.

"Sadly, he's been on a campaign against me for a long time," Vitter said. "I've reached out to him numerous times about legislation affecting law enforcement and other issues (to no avail). Obviously, (the sheriff's) motives in the arrest were political. It was a bizarre and silly incident."

Vitter's campaign spokesman Luke Bolar provided the following statement: "This person works for a firm that we hired to do research, all within the bounds of the law. This includes John Bel Edwards’ business associate and major donor, and his relationship with the John Bel Edwards campaign. It has nothing to do with Newell Normand.”

Edwards, who called the incident "Nixonian" Sunday, said he's unaware of any of his major donors who were among Normand's breakfast bunch. Normand told The Advocate he believes he was the target of the surveillance.

Vitter said in the end, the incident will be little more than a distraction.

"I'm focused on sharing my strong vision with voters, and I'm confident it will be one they embrace," he said.

Follow Greg Hilburn on Twitter @GregHilburn1