Vitter in danger for 2010?

Beating Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) may be within reach, according to a poll released this week.

A new poll released Thursday shows Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) with a 49 percent favorability rating among Louisiana residents, falling one percent short of the benchmark generally needed to be considered safe in a reelection campaign.

Ever since Vitter was implicated in the D.C. Madam prostitution scandal in 2007 talk has continued to swirl about whether he can win reelection in 2010.

41 percent of likely voters said if the 2010 election were held today they would reelect Vitter, 27 percent said they would consider voting for another candidate and 32 percent said they would replace him.

In match-ups between potential Democratic contenders, Vitter continues to hold a slight edge.

In a test of Vitter versus Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.), 48 percent of participants said they would vote for Sen. Vitter over Rep. Melancon. 41 percent said they would vote for Melancon and 11 percent were undecided.

In a match-up between Vitter and former Representative Don Cazayoux, who won a special election last May but lost his Louisiana seat in November, 48 percent of participants said they would vote for Vitter and 39 percent said they would vote for Cazayoux. Thirteen percent were undecided.

The poll was conducted by the Research 2000 Louisiana Poll between March 2 and March 4, 2009. A total of 600 likely voters who vote regularly in state elections were interviewed statewide by telephone.

–Ryan Furlong