BATON ROUGE - Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter has survived challenges from two GOP rivals to reach a November runoff in the Louisiana governor's race. He'll face Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards on the Nov. 21 ballot.

Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, both Republicans, split the anti-Vitter vote in Saturday's election, allowing Vitter to secure a spot on the runoff ballot.

Friday night Vitter thanked his supporters and told them Baton Rouge politicians had failed them, creating "one heck of a mess" he said he would clean up.

Months ago, Vitter was atop the polls, flush with millions in campaign cash and running like an incumbent. But amid continued talk of his 2007 prostitution scandal, Vitter's poll numbers fell and his negatives spiked among voters. That raised questions about whether one of his opponents could squeak by him. 

Vitter, however, maintained a strong conservative base that carried him into the runoff.