BATON ROUGE - Republican candidate for governor David Vitter defended his opposition to the federal health care overhaul even as he told an audience supportive of the law that he'd consider tapping into its Medicaid expansion provisions. 

The comments came at a forum held Friday in north Baton Rouge by Together Louisiana, a faith-based group that advocates for low- and moderate-income residents.

Both Vitter and his Democratic opponent John Bel Edwards answered questions about poverty, Medicaid expansion and the state's budget woes. 

Edwards got applause for saying if elected, he'd immediately expand the Medicaid program to provide government-funded health insurance to the working poor.

Vitter first described his continued opposition to the federal health revamp, before saying he'd consider the coverage expansion if he can negotiate a state-specific program with the federal government.