The four major candidates for governor signed up Tuesday, on the initial day of qualifying.
David Vitter was first up, greeting the media with a joke about his wife who accompanied him.
“Wendy just signed up to run for Governor.”
Vitter said he was flying back to Washington, as the U.S. Senate was reconvening, and it was noted there’s not another congressional recess until October 12th. When asked if he would be participating in any forums or debates before the October 24th primary, he replied, “Absolutely.”
When pressed for details of which debates, Vitter waffled a bit.
“I haven’t committed to any, so we’re getting invitations and sifting through all that right now.”
Scott Angelle was next, and reporters asked about his ability to be financially competitive with Vitter.
“Well, I would say that this is an election and not an auction, and if it were about money we could all go home today,” said the Public Service Commissioner. “But all of you are here today, so you don’t think it’s about money, either.”
Jay Dardenne was also quizzed about his campaign finances, compared to Vitter’s.
“Well, we’re not going to get ahead in fundraising, obviously. He’s got zillions of dollars,” the Lt. Governor stated. “He’ll continue to have zillions of dollars. He leans on people. That’s the reality of it. I knew I would be outspent.”
Dardenne was asked about his fourth place standing in the polls, as well.
“The most meaningless bit of polling data right now is the horse race, because people have not been paying attention,” Dardenne said. “What you want to look at – what’s an individual’s favorability, what’s his potential for growth?. And our polling verifies that we’re very well positioned right now.”
John Bel Edwards had one of the more insightful comments of the day, when talking about the urgency of addressing the state’s continuing fiscal crisis.
“To be an effective Governor in this next term, you’re going to have to risk being a one-term governor, because the decisions are going to be hard. They’re going to be controversial. But it’s important, and I’m prepared to take on that challenge.”
Qualifying continues through Thursday.