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Louisiana: Melancon Finally Goes Nuclear on Vitter

In his most brazen attempt yet to thrust Sen. David Vitter’s 3-year-old prostitution scandal into the forefront of their Senate race, Rep. Charlie Melancon (D) has released a new commercial that hammers the Republican for his “forgotten crime.”

In 2007, Vitter’s phone number was found in a list of clients of the “D.C. Madam.” Vitter promptly issued an apology. “This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible,” Vitter said in a statement at the time. Ultimately, Vitter wasn’t charged in the matter, but the implication of illegal behavior is at the heart of the Melancon video.

Shot and edited in a television news magazine format meant to look like an independent exposé, the commercial is compiled from a series of Web videos first launched by the state Democratic Party earlier this year. Vitter holds a comfortable lead in the polls over Melancon, which is somewhat implicit in this new ad’s message that Vitter faced no consequences for his past troubles.

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