Melancon Senate decision just days away

U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon said he will announce before the month’s end whether he intends to seek the Democratic bid for one of the state’s Senate seats in 2010.

Appearing at the Berwick Housing Authority’s Night Out Against Crime event last Tuesday, the congressman said he is closer to deciding whether he will oppose U.S. Sen. David Vitter in the next congressional election. He’s spent the better part of the summer traveling Louisiana, visiting the northern reaches of the state where he’s generally lesser known.

“We’ll know in a couple of weeks what we’re going to do, but I must say it’s looking better and better as we travel across the state,” Melancon said.

A native of Assumption Parish, Melancon was elected to Congress in 2004. Vitter, a Jefferson Parish native, was elected in 1999 to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District. He advanced to the Senate in 2004.

Vitter is up for re-election in 2010.

Melancon co-chairs the fiscally conservative, “pay as you go” Blue Dog Coalition, which was founded in 1995. The Blue Dogs tout a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, according to its Web site, strongly supporting financial stability and national security. The coalition has 51 members.

Self described as an independent and outspoken reformer, Vitter has long been an advocate for advancing mainstream conservative principles.

In 2007, however, he found himself apologizing to Louisiana voters after the public learned he had been a client of alleged “D.C. Madam” Deborah Jeane Palfrey’s prostitution service in Washington, D.C.

Since the discovery, at least one unlikely candidate has surfaced as a possible opponent in Vitter’s re-election bid. Porn actress Stormy Daniels is mulling seeking the first-term incumbent’s Senate seat.

At last week’s Berwick event, Melancon told the crowd that the pending healthcare reform effort would require more discussion before a vote is taken when lawmakers return to Washington, D.C.

“The American people have legitimate fears about where this country is headed and what it means for their future and the future of their children,” he said. “Years of irresponsible governing and reckless deficit spending have left us in a deep hole, marred by record deficits and skyrocketing healthcare costs.

“It is our responsibility as members of Congress to meet these challenges head on, and that means passing fiscally responsible healthcare reform that provides real competition and consumer choice in the marketplace,” the congressman added.

“The Blue Dogs are committed to passing healthcare reform that works, and we will continue working with members in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle to make this goal a reality,” he told attendees.

Melancon Senate decision just days away