Stormy Daniels’ Senate Run Heats Up Louisiana

A senator with professional experience

The following are the only three requirements a person must meet to become a United States Senator:

• Be at least 30 years of age
• Be a U.S. citizen for a minimum of  nine years at the time of election to the Senate
• Be a resident of the state you are elected to represent in the Senate

If a person meets the qualifications and can win a popular vote, they deserve to serve their state. Period. That includes adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose senate run has Louisiana all hot and bothered. I’d like to see what her positions on cash advance loans and mortgage loan modification are.

Drafted by the people

Sean Callebs reports for CNN that Daniels is “being drafted” to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana now held by Republican Senator David Vitter. And candidacy is very real.

Her “Draft Stormy” Web site presents her candidacy as follows:

2010 presents the Pelican State with the opportunity to start with a clean slate — to elect a representative that we can be proud of, who will work tirelessly, and who will challenge the status quo. We at the Draft Stormy campaign feel that Baton Rouge native Stormy Daniels is best suited to fulfill these duties.

A sinner with deep pockets

Vitter’s career has been tarnished by his association with a prostitution ring. He was elected to the Senate in 2004. In July 2007, he admitted to a “very serious sin in my past” (get thee behind me, you fresh-baked sinners!). That sin, in his estimation, was that his phone number appeared in the “D.C. Madam’s” Rolodex.

Now he is running for re-election. Vitter claims his wife has forgiven him, and he hopes his constituency will do the same. But “Draft Stormy” could mean stormy skies for Mr. Vitter.

Listening to what the people want

The “Draft Stormy” campaign, which New Orleans resident and Daniels fan Zack Hudson got off the ground, is not merely a publicity stunt. Daniels, who isn’t affiliated with a party, has taken to the idea of running. She has planned a “listening tour” around Louisiana to talk about the issues that are most important to the populace, including the economy, women in business and child protection.

When told Vitter can be a tough opponent, she said she’s “always up for a good fight.”

Ms. Daniels’ dossier

According to her Web site bio, Daniels has been “breaking barriers and shattering glass ceilings her entire life,” serving as editor of her high school newspaper and 4-H Club president. Eventually, she  transferred “her determination and talents to the professional level, becoming a featured performer in the adult entertainment industry.”

Another point the site highlights is “signing an exclusive contract with the video production company Wicked Pictures, a company committed to a health and safety first policy, as pertaining to its video performances. Stormy’s decision to sign with Wicked highlighted her commitment to sending a positive message to young people of the importance of practicing safe sex,” the bio said.

Daniels has even directed films for Wicked, won industry awards for writing, directing and acting, and has appeared in mainstream films like “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Pineapple Express.”

I must remind you that this is not just a publicity stunt. I applaud Ms. Daniels’ moxie.

She’ll have to be ready for the low blow

While the Stormy is just beginning to pick up speed in Louisiana, the campaign will kick into overdrive when she faces Vitter mano-a-mano. Clancy DuBos of the political newspaper Gambit told CNN that Vitter is “a brilliant politician with a campaign war chest worth $2 million.”

Plus, using the D.C. Madam link in her campaign could backfire, as Vitter could easily make the argument that Daniels’ past is “family value”-centric, either. I wish people who throw real or air quotes around that phrase would specify whose family they’re talking about…

Clearly, DuBos as not someone who takes Daniels’ candidacy seriously. “You are going to need someone better than a porn star, or a lap dancer, or a sex worker to nail David Vitter on this,” he said. “You need a serious opponent.”

But isn’t it about the issues?

According to “Draft Stormy,” Daniels has

real world experience and special understanding of the economic hardships facing Louisianans and Americans make her uniquely qualified to take on the tough challenges we face.

Our grass-roots movement spans the political spectrum and champions Stormy’s philosophy of personal responsibility and the promotion of individual enterprise. We eschew partisanship and labels, instead judging our leaders on their integrity, character and effectiveness.

If Daniels wins a seat in the United States Senate, she’d be the first adult entertainment industry star in this country to do so. However, there has been at least one other – Illona Staller in Italy – so Daniels would not be setting a complete precedent. Some would say it has happened in Europe because they’re generally more liberated and less Puritanical than the United States, while others would say the United States makes “moral” decisions. Whatever the case, I wish Stormy Daniels the best and hope that her stance on the issues is what prompts Louisiana voters to decide.

Related Video: