Saturday's Republican primary for U.S. Senate should be an afterthought for the incumbent.
Saturday's Republican primary for U.S. Senate should be an afterthought for the incumbent: A new survey from Public Policy Polling finds Sen. David Vitter with an embarrassingly commanding lead over his two rivals - a whopping 81 percent of likely voters say they'll choose Vitter; former state Supreme Court Justice Chet Traylor garners 5 percent of the vote, while perennial also-ran Nick Accardo registers 4 percent. Nine percent are undecided.
More from PPP: Among the likely primary electorate, Vitter has a 78-17 job approval rating. Traylor, meanwhile, is unknown to 60 percent of these most faithful GOP voters, and those who do have an opinion disfavor him 3:1. With an 11-25 mark among the general electorate, Traylor, if anything, is slightly less liked among his own party than among everyone. It is no wonder, then, that with an 81-point favorability advantage on the margin, Vitter tops Traylor by 76 points in the horse race.
Some political watchers in Louisiana wondered if the Christian conservative Traylor's 11th-hour candidacy would rattle the Vitter camp and make for an interesting primary. But sordid revelations soon after he qualified that he is in a romantic relationship with his stepson's estranged wife - a relationship that began within weeks of his wife's death - no doubt played a role in turning off voters, who have evidently forgiven Vitter for his sexual transgressions.
The Saturday primary is open only to registered Republicans. PPP, a North Carolina pollster, surveyed 358 likely Louisiana Republicans on Aug. 21 and 22. The polls margin of error is +/- 5.2 percent.