Perkins, porn star eye Vitter's seat

Original Link: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=AA9046D2-18FE-70B2-A80BC70E1ECC9C24

By DANIEL LIBIT

Porn star Stormy Daniels and Family Research Council chief Tony Perkins may not have much in common, but they do share this: an interest in David Vitter’s seat.

Vitter, the Republican senator from Louisiana who admitted to “a very serious sin” involving the D.C. Madam prostitution scandal, is up for reelection in 2010.

And while Daniels — the winner of the 2007 Golden G-string Award — may not present a serious challenge for Vitter, Perkins tells POLITICO he just might.

“I will say this: I have people in Louisiana encouraging me to consider it,” said Perkins, a former Louisiana legislator who joined the FRC after losing to Vitter in the 2002 Senate primary.

When Vitter’s name turned up in the phone book of “D.C. Madam” Deborah Jeane Palfrey in 2007, Perkins said “there’s room to make a mistake and come back” — and said that even he’d vote for his friend Vitter again if Vitter could show that he had “moved on” from the scandal.

Two years later, however, Perkins says it’s still a problem for Vitter.

“I don’t think he needs to say anything else about it, but I don’t think he can do anything else about it,” Perkins said. “Can people feel a sense of trust in him to publicly stand with him and support him and help him? Maybe he has [gotten to that point]. I know I still get some questions. I think he is certainly vulnerable [to] a challenge from the right — a candidate without issues.”

In the early days of the 111th Congress, Vitter has moved quickly to re-establish his conservative bona fides.

He led a lonely charge against Hillary Clinton’s confirmation as secretary of state, and he was at the forefront of conservative opposition to the stimulus package, lashing out against a proposal to give billions to ACORN, which served as a favorite Republican piñata during the 2008 presidential election.

On Tuesday, Vitter called for the resignation of Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.). When The Hill asked him if he was worried about being seen as a hypocrite, given his own indiscretions, Vitter replied: “I honestly don’t know anybody who would compare these situations. They are dramatically different.”

And even if they weren’t, a former staffer says the Louisiana senator wouldn’t much care.

“David Vitter is David Vitter,” the former staffer said. “He believes in what he believes in. He and [his wife] Wendy are still together. If people want to call him a hypocrite, so be it. It’s not going to change what he believes.”

Vitter’s aggressive approach over the past two months has won him public back-pats from Republican colleagues in the Senate — even if it comes with some eye-rolling from the other side of the aisle.

“I think people in public life develop a kind of armor,” said Rutgers University professor Ross Baker. “They are used to getting pummeled even for simple policy differences, and this callousness kind of builds up and enables them to hold their heads high in situations where other people would be seeking some kind of camouflage.”

Louisiana political analyst John Maginnis suggested that Vitter finds comfort in the role of “the outsider, the principled opponent.”

“He thrives on that,” Maginnis said. “I think Vitter thinks the most important thing is to nail down the right, and when he gets closer to the election, he can take care of the center.”

Having spent the past five years at the vanguard of the social conservative movement, Perkins could stand between Vitter and the conservative base he needs.

Perkins wouldn’t say for certain whether he’ll enter the race. He said he could decide to stay out of it for the sake of his family.

At the same time, however, he said: “Politically, it may be an advantageous time for me to run.”

Vitter’s office did not return repeated calls for comment. Asked at the Capitol on Tuesday if he’d heard that Perkins was considering a run against him, Vitter said, “No, I hadn’t — I don’t expect that.”

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn also said Tuesday that he was unaware of Perkins’ interest in the race. “My position is that the voters get to choose their candidates, but we’ll be supporting Sen. Vitter,” the Texas senator said.

Added NRSC Communications Director Brian Walsh: “Despite all the hype and chatter in Washington, Sen. Vitter is in a strong position to win reelection.”

Although Louisiana has a strong red tilt — even New Orleans elected a Republican to Congress this year — Democrats consider Vitter to be vulnerable in 2010.

“Between Sen. Vitter’s past and his extremist right-wing voting record, we believe he doesn’t represent Louisiana’s mainstream values,” said Eric Schultz, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “He’s ethically challenged, and he’ll have a lot of questions to answer between now and Election Day 2010.”

Perkins said Vitter has “an extremely difficult race” ahead and “a lot of work to do” if he wants to win it.

“I think David has a real challenge on his hands,” he said.

Whether Perkins is the person best suited for the challenge isn’t yet clear. Republican pollster Whit Ayres said Perkins “would have a built-in base of support” if he decides to run but that he likely “would find it difficult to expand beyond that base.”

Ayres said Vitter would find it harder to defend his seat in the primary against a more moderate Republican candidate, such as Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, whose name has been mentioned as a potential candidate.

“When you’re talking about Tony Perkins,” Ayres said, “that level of [base] support gets you on the playing field, but it’s not enough to get you across the finish line.”

In the meantime, where Perkins and Schultz see political imperilment for Vitter, others see a trove of opportunity.

The Rev. Gene Mills of the Louisiana Family Forum, a statewide Christian organization for which Vitter earmarked $100,000 in 2007, said the senator is in “a unique position” where he can be “the bulldog on the Senate floor.”

“Will he be leading the charge on marriage and faith? I don’t know,” Mills said, “but he will be on limited government and strong defense. It plays well for him now.”