Bobby Jindal, David Vitter leave Louisiana Republican leadership vacuum
For the better part of 10 years, Gov. Bobby Jindal and U.S. Sen. David Vitter have been the twin standard bearers for the Republican Party in Louisiana. Now, it's not clear who the leader of the state GOP will be moving forward.
"I've spoken to people with all of the camps. We're trying to figure it out. Who will take the torch?" said Jay Vicknair, a Republican strategist who ran Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne's gubernatorial campaign and then joined Vitter's staff for the runoff election.
Jindal and Vitter have been the go-to Republicans for setting the conservative public policy agenda for the state, and guiding the GOP's political strategy in Louisiana. The two men don't get along, and headed up competing factions of Republicans over the last eight years. But either Jindal or Vitter (or usually both) were always mentioned in the any conversation about Louisiana's GOP leadership and direction over the past few years.
Now, both men are leaving elected official life -- at least for the foreseeable future. Jindal announced he was dropping out of the presidential race the same week Vitter lost the gubernatorial election. The governor leaves his office Jan. 11, and Vitter has said he won't seek reelection to his U.S. Senate in 2016, which essentially makes him a lame duck member of Congress for the rest of his term.
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