Washington Watch for Nov. 10, 2008

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Washington correspondent
• Published: Nov 9, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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One month after setting up a legal defense fund to pay for fees incurred from his involvement in the case of a woman convicted of running a high-priced Washington prostitution ring, U.S. Sen. David Vitter has raised $200,000 to cover the costs.

Vitter had appealed to the Federal Election Commission to use campaign funds to pay the fees. The commission said that he could only use $40,000 in costs related to his Senate duties.

The Louisiana Republican acknowledged in July 2007, that his phone number appeared on the client list of the woman dubbed “the D.C. Madam.” Deborah Jeane Palfrey was convicted in federal court in April of money laundering, mail fraud and conspiracy. Palfrey committed suicide while facing a sentence of four to six years in federal prison.

Vitter told the FEC he incurred legal expenses in monitoring the Palfrey trial and quashing the subpoenas issued to him.

Vitter also hired an attorney to defend himself to the Senate Ethics Committee, because of a complaint filed against him by a government watchdog group. The complaint was dismissed because Vitter was never charged with a crime and the incidents occurred more than seven years ago when he was a House member.

The legal defense fund filing showed 27 contributors, 18 of whom donated the maximum $10,000. Most of the major contributors were New Orleans-based business owners who have regularly contributed to Republican causes in the state.

The next race. …

Now that Louisiana Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu has been re-elected, all eyes now turn to the next Senate race involving Vitter in 2010.

Louisiana’s support of Landrieu shows a schizophrenic voting pattern in the state. In the last two major races, which included Vitter in 2004 and Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal in 2007, voters overwhelmingly backed the GOP.

G. Pearson Cross, dean of the political science department at the University of Louisiana Lafayette, said the two-year period before the Vitter election is enough time for voters to forgive his indiscretions.

“He was contrite, apologized and has taken responsibility,” Cross said. “That goes a long way.”

Vitter also should maintain the support of state Republicans, Cross said. But that’s not to say that Vitter won’t face Republican primary opponents and a major Democratic challenger, he said.

“Without this scandal, Vitter would be breezing,” Cross said.