Democrat John Bel Edwards will be Louisiana’s next governor, bulldozing through scandal-tarred GOP Sen. David Vitter in Saturday’s election after a campaign dominated by Vitter’s 2007 prostitution scandal.

The Associated Press called the contest as Edwards, a state representative, led Vitter 55 percent to 45 percent, with 57 percent of precincts reporting. Edwards’ victory shattered an unprecedented losing streak for his party in the Deep South, where a new statewide Democratic officeholder had not been elected since President Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009.


“God bless you; I am eternally grateful. I won’t let you down,” Edwards said at his victory party. "The people of Louisiana have chosen to believe that we can do better, and that as a result, we will be better."

Edwards, a West Point graduate who supports gun rights and opposes abortion rights, coupled a tailor-made biography and a perfect foil to hold off those long-term political tides, despite Republican attacks connecting him to Obama.

Edwards and Democratic allies savaged Vitter’s credibility with repeated attacks on his character, including TV ads in which a narrator painted the election as a choice between “John Bel Edwards, who answered our country’s call and served as [an Army] Ranger … or David Vitter, who answered a prostitute’s call.”

Vitter responded to the voters' rebuke by announcing that he will retire from the Senate rather than seek reelection in 2016.

"I've lost one political campaign in my life," Vitter said. "And ironically, it's the campaign that I'm most proud of, particularly the last few weeks fighting shoulder to shoulder with all of you."

"I'm eager to refocus on the important work of the United States Senate," Vitter continued. "I'm only going to be doing that for one more year, through the end of this term."

Just a month ago, Vitter and other Republican candidates combined to win over 57 percent of the vote in the October all-party primary. But some conservative voters peeled away from the party in the runoff election, encouraged by the Republican supporters (including Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, who endorsed Edwards after finishing behind Vitter in the primary) that Edwards touted on the campaign trail.

Yet Edwards’ victory was not completely secure before Saturday, despite most pre-election polls showing him leading Vitter by double-digit margins. The terrorist attacks in Paris in which more than 129 people were killed reshaped the last week of the election. Vitter called for a ban on Syrian refugees settling in Louisiana over potential terrorism concerns, and he and allies attacked Edwards on the issue.

The Democrat had adopted the same position against refugee resettlement, but Edwards also indicated he would be willing to work with the federal government on the issue. In an attack ad, Vitter’s campaign claimed Edwards had “pledged to work with Obama” to bring refugees to the state. The ad ended with a clip of Edwards saying, “I supported the president,” followed by a narrator concluding, “He always does.”

The Democratic Governors Association seized on Edwards' win as a momentum-building signal.

"The Louisiana results today prove that strong Democratic gubernatorial candidates can win races anywhere in the country — in red, purple or blue states,” DGA chairman and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said in a statement. "On behalf of Democratic governors, I congratulate John Bel Edwards on his new role as governor."

"Tonight's results in Louisiana changes nothing for Democrats heading into 2016," Republican Governors Association spokesman Jon Thompson said in his own statement.

John Bel Edwards embraces his wife after being elected the next governor of Louisiana on Saturday night. | AP Photo

While Edwards was an obscure state lawmaker before embarking on a seemingly impossible run for governor, Vitter has been a major figure in Louisiana politics for more than two decades, earning a hard-line conservative reputation in the state legislature and Congress.

But his career will be defined by the 2007 prostitution scandal. Vitter’s phone number was linked to a D.C. madam who was under federal investigation. The senator held a news conference in New Orleans in which he issued an oblique apology for a “serious sin.” He then went quiet, refusing hallway interviews with congressional reporters and rarely publicly addressing the scandal.

Yet Vitter won reelection to the Senate in 2010 by 19 percentage points over then-Democratic Rep. Charlie Melancon, leading many to believe the scandal was behind him. While Melancon aired ads about the scandal, they were nothing like the assault Vitter faced in the governor’s race — partly because the initial attacks came from fellow Republicans Dardenne and Scott Angelle, a state public service commissioner, who said there was a “shadow cast over Senator Vitter.”

In addition to ceding Republican control of Louisiana’s governor’s mansion, occupied since 2008 by Bobby Jindal, Vitter’s loss and subsequent retirement announcement also cloud the future of his Senate seat.

Two Republican congressmen — Reps. John Fleming and Charles Boustany — have spent the year anticipating a Vitter gubernatorial victory, positioning themselves for the appointment to serve the remainder of his term and aggressively planning to run for the seat in 2016. Both have stepped up fundraising, while Boustany hired a campaign manager and has met with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups. Fleming, typically considered more conservative than Boustany, has some ability to self-fund and could receive backing from conservative groups.

State Treasurer John Kennedy, who cruised to reelection this year and has $2.5 million in campaign funds he could transfer to a super PAC, has also been angling for the Senate seat, while Rob Maness, a retired Air Force colonel and tea party favorite, could make another run after a losing Senate bid in 2014. Angelle is also interested in the seat after his losing gubernatorial run this year.

Edwards' win gives Democrats a recipe for winning in Louisiana, but the ingredients — a conservative Democrat, an unpopular Republican — are in short supply. Still, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who passed on a bid for governor, could make a run for the Senate seat. His sister, former Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, is thought to be uninterested after losing her seat in 2014.