Yesterday, I made an important announcement: I am running for the United States Senate against Republican incumbent David Vitter.
My wife Peachy and I are going to run a campaign that starts from the ground up -- around kitchen tables, fence posts and barbershops -- not out of Washington with all the slick mumbo-jumbo that ends up dividing us.
We've seen enough division out of Washington. What we haven't seen nearly enough of is problem-solving -- and that's why I'm running.
I hope you'll visit CharlieMelancon.com to watch a special announcement video we just released, and to learn how you can get involved in our campaign.
I think too many of the politicians in Washington have forgotten simple ideals like solving problems and helping neighbors. The Washington game is more about scoring points or sticking it to the other guy. Well, that's not a game I'm interested in playing. And it's a game my state of Louisiana -- and our country -- can no longer afford.
I believe we need a different approach in Washington -- an approach that is more bipartisan, more disciplined, more honest and with a whole lot more common sense than we're getting from David Vitter. I will work with anyone or stand up to anyone if it's the right thing to do for my state and my country.
As a businessman, my background has been about demanding accountability, getting results and solving problems, and I know government in Washington can do a lot better with the money it already has.
I want to bring diverse perspectives together to solve problems relating to health care, energy security, economic revitalization, deficit control, and the myriad other issues that Americans care about.
I'm a proud fighter for the little guy and the people of my state who are struggling to make ends meet. That's what Louisiana values are about.
Yet when David Vitter walks onto the floor of the U.S. Senate, he seems to be checking those values at the door.
He told us he was going to take care of the deficit. The truth is that he packed the stimulus bill with $250 million in pork barrel projects, then voted against it so it would look like he was keeping his promise.
David Vitter told Louisiana he was going to clean up politics. Then he went to Washington and voted against important ethics reform.
It's a story we've heard over and over -- David Vitter talks one way at home, then walks another way in Washington. And that kind of politics is a luxury we just can't afford -- not at a time when we have so many tough problems to solve together.
But there's one thing Senator Vitter can afford -- in fact, he can afford just as much of it as he pleases: a campaign of negativity and attacks designed to distract voters, courtesy of contributions from the very same special interests he told us he was going to Washington to fight. I'm going to do my very best to compete with this, but it won't be easy. That's why I need the support of each and every person who wants a Senator who cares more about solving problems than scoring points.
I hope that you will take a moment to visit my new campaign website, CharlieMelancon.com, and watch my announcement video detailing why I am running to represent the great people of Louisiana in the United States Senate. I pledge that I will be a Senator that you all can be proud of -- and that is something that will never change.