The last-minute primary challenger to Louisiana Sen. David Vitter told ABC News he entered the race because of what he describes as a groundswell of concern among Republicans that Vitter may be too damaged by scandal to survive the general election.

'I got so many phone calls in the last week or two, they wanted another option,' said Chet Traylor, a retired state supreme court justice who has just launched his first statewide campaign. 'They want, and I want Louisiana to have, a Republican senator.'

The last-minute primary challenger to Louisiana Sen. David Vitter told ABC News he entered the race because of what he describes as a groundswell of concern among Republicans that Vitter may be too damaged by scandal to survive the general election.

'I got so many phone calls in the last week or two, they wanted another option,' said Chet Traylor, a retired state supreme court justice who has just launched his first statewide campaign. 'They want, and I want Louisiana to have, a Republican senator.'

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) – US President Barack Obama said Friday his policies had pulled America out of the most vicious economic dive since the 1930s, setting battle lines for mid-term elections in November.

Obama put the Republicans on notice he will vigorously defend his record, despite the fact many Americans do not yet feel the recovery he is touting, while economic data hints that the rebound may be slowing.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will mix campaigning with a discussion on the economy during a trip to Missouri this week.

The White House says Obama will travel to Kansas City on Thursday to discuss the economy with workers at Smith Electric Vehicles.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Bipartisan lawmakers on Friday sought tax breaks for mostly small business to help cushion the economic blow from oil still spewing from BP Plc's deep sea well in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. senators from Florida, Mississippi and other spill-hit states asked the leaders of the Senate's tax-writing finance committee to back tax relief aimed at boosting economies in states with thousands of workers displaced in the aftermath of the spill.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Congress on Wednesday approved a bill extending the closing deadline for homebuyers trying to take advantage of a popular tax credit.

Homebuyers with contracts signed by April 30 who failed to go to closing by the June 30 deadline will now have until September 30 to complete their purchases. The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the bill and it now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

More than two years after the start of the recession, Americans in every corner of the country continue to feel the pinch of the economic downturn, a new survey finds.

More than half of all Americans say their work life has been impacted negatively and their finances are worse off, according to the report released today by the Pew Research Center.

WASHINGTON – A sweeping overhaul of financial regulations aimed at preventing another economic crisis headed Wednesday for a final House vote after Democrats backed down on a $19 billion tax they had added on big banks and hedge funds.

WASHINGTON – The demise of Democrats' jobs-agenda legislation means that unemployment benefits will phase out for more than 200,000 people a week. Governors who had counted on fresh federal aid will now have to consider more budget cuts, tax increases and layoffs of state workers.

WASHINGTON – The demise of Democrats' jobs-agenda legislation means that unemployment benefits will phase out for more than 200,000 people a week. Governors who had counted on fresh federal aid will now have to consider a more budget cuts, tax increases and layoffs of state workers.