Kenyatta Y. Sutton
American Government
April 15, 2015
Bonus Assignment David Vitter Speaks at Southern University U.S. Sen. David Vitter gave some Southern University students an overview Wednesday of his bid to become Louisiana’s next governor and didn’t shy away from slamming Gov. Bobby Jindal. Dinging Jindal’s apparent presidential aspirations, Vitter told the crowd that Louisiana faces several challenges, but they can be fixed with the right leader. “That’s the reason I’m running — not to kick the can down the road, not to play politics with the big issues,” he said. “I will be completely focused on what’s best for Louisiana.”
A few dozen people gathered in the atrium of the historically black college’s Higgins Hall, home to the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, to hear the conservative senator give a mostly standard stump speech touching on the state budget crisis, Louisiana’s future and workforce development. Several in the audience were students who were getting class credit; others included faculty and alumni. “Voters don’t trust government, and as a voter I get that,” said Vitter, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2005 and spent several years in the U.S. House and state House before that. “We’re going to stabilize the budget. We’re going to support higher education.”
William Arp, dean of the event-hosting College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, said Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, also a Republican running for governor, is slated to speak to the same crowd April 15. State Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite, spoke to the same group in late 2013 near the start of his gubernatorial campaign kick-off. Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle also is running for governor. Albert Samuels, a political science professor who introduced Vitter at Wednesday’s event, said that his appearance was part of a series meant to