Rep. Boustany Readying For Announcement On U.S. Senate Race

BATON ROUGE (AP) — U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany is making it clear he intends to run for the U.S. Senate next year, after Republican David Vitter announced he won't seek re-election.

         Boustany released a statement Monday saying that Louisiana deserves a senator "who can lead in times of challenge, offer conservative, workable solutions to complex problems and bring unity in times of division."

         The Republican congressman from Lafayette said he'll have a formal Senate candidacy announcement event soon in which he'll outline his vision for Louisiana.

         Vitter decided against running for a third term after he was soundly defeated in Saturday's election for governor.

         Besides Boustany, other Republicans eyeing the Senate race include U.S. Rep. John Fleming, Treasurer John Kennedy and Rob Maness, who ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana's other Senate seat last year.