Porn star passes on challenging Vitter

Porn star Stormy Daniels announced Thursday that she will not challenge Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) in a primary.

Daniels had been exploring a bid against Vitter for the better part of the year. Her potential candidacy drew plenty of headlines and smirks, especially given Vitter's self-admitted "serious sin" with a prostitute in 2007.

Daniels said recently that, if she ran, she would do so in the primary against Vitter. But she said Thursday that she just doesn't have the funds to compete.

“The simple fact that David Vitter has $5 million in his bank account pretty much says it all," she said. "Against that sheer accumulation of special-interest dollars, I have no legitimate means of winning a race for the United States Senate under these circumstances. As a businesswoman, I know that better than anyone.
 
“I am not running for the U.S. Senate because I am an adult entertainment star. I am not running for the U.S. Senate for the same reason that so many dedicated patriots do not run: I can’t afford it."

Daniels's candidacy threatened to draw attention to Vitter's personal foibles, and Republicans dismissed it as a stunt perpetrated by Democrats. They pointed to the fact that Daniels's adviser, Brian Welsh, is a well-known Democratic consultant.