Foley Scandal Resonates in Close Congressional Campaigns
More from the Florida race in the U.S. News Campaign Diary
Pennsylvania 6: Rep. Jim Gerlach vs. Lois Murphy
Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach donated the $1,000 he received from Foley's leadership political action committee to Crime Victims Center of Chester County and also canceled a fundraiser with Boehner this week.
"This kind of action deserves a zero-tolerance policy," said Gerlach spokesman John Gentzel. Opponent Lois Murphy used the situation to call on Gerlach to return campaign contributions former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay had made.
More from the Pennsylvania race in the U.S. News Campaign Diary
Montana Senate: Sen. Conrad Burns vs. Jon Tester
The Burns campaign has been silent about the Foley scandal, but Montana Democrats have been on the attack. Tester spokesman Matt McKenna says, "Burns was working hand in hand with known predator Mark Foley long after Republican leaders were made aware of his behavior. Montanans deserve to know what Burns knew and when he knew it about Mr. Foley's relationship with the young page."
And the Montana Democratic Party is calling attention to Burns and Foley having worked together on Internet safety legislation that took aim at sexual predators online. Burns sponsored the Senate version of Foley's House bill. The state Democratic Party is highlighting a photo still (from CNN B-roll footage from 2004) that shows Burns and Foley in front of a banner that reads, "Making the Web a Safer Place for Children."
In a story in the Great Falls Tribune, Burns spokesman Jason Klindt did not dispute the senator's earlier cooperation with Foley but noted: "Conrad's been working to stop people like Mark Foley."
More from the Montana race in the U.S. News Campaign Diary
West Virginia 1: Rep. Alan Mollohan vs. Chris Wakim
Nick Casey, chairman of the West Virginia State Democratic Executive Committee, is calling for Chris Wakim to return $15,000 in campaign donations he received from Hastert and Boehner.
Both Hastert and Boehner have come to West Virginia in recent months to stump for Wakim.
"For weeks, West Virginians have been subjected to hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of smears distorting Alan Mollohan's record funded by Chris Wakim's friends in Texas and California," says Casey. "Now we learn that it is the Republican Party that chose to look the other way when one of its own congressmen was sending inappropriate E-mails to a 16-year-old congressional page."
Gerry Griffith, campaign manager for Mollohan, adds: "The irony is that Boehner and Hastert give big donations to finance that kind of nasty effort [against Mollohan] at the same time they remain silent over Mr. Foley's problems." When asked to comment on this, the campaign to elect Wakim said: "The attorney general has opened an investigation into what Mark Foley did and anyone involved should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
The Wakim campaign also argues that Mollohan voted against authorizing $2 million for task forces to investigate Internet crimes against children as well as other measures to protect children from sexual predators.
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