A potential challenger to married Rep. Vance McAllister (R-La.), who was caught on tape kissing a staffer, has called on him to resign.
"This is another embarrassment to Louisiana," state Rep. Robert Johnson (D) told the paper. “I think he needs to resign, and I don't think he can be effective." Johnson is considering a bid to unseat McAllister in Louisiana's 5th District later this year.
The Ouachita Citizen published a surveillance video Monday showing McAllister kissing Melissa Anne Hixon Peacock, his district scheduler, at his Monroe, La., office. Following the video's release, McAllister apologized to his constituents, and Peacock, who is also married, resigned.
McAllister told The News-Star that he has no plans to resign, "unless there is an outcry for me not to serve, and so far there has been an outpouring of support, not for my actions, but for me to continue to represent the people."
His chief of staff told The News-Star that the congressman was planning on sending a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday requesting an FBI investigation into how the video was leaked.
The congressman, who has five children with his wife Kelly, cast himself as a devout Christian and "family man" during his campaign for the seat. An endorsement from "Duck Dynasty" star Willie Robertson raised his profile and helped him pull out an upset over Louisiana state Sen. Neil Riser (R) last year.
Louisiana's 5th District "jungle primary," in which all candidates run on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, will be held in November. If no candidate gets 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a Dec. 6 runoff.
Johnson, who lost to McAllister in a special election last November, said it's "not a secret" that he wants to serve in Congress. "I'm certainly very interested," he added.
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