A few days after it became obvious that the GOP was rooting for three of its congressional members to resign to have a better hope of keeping their seat comes news of even more ethical trouble from Republicans, as well as increasing speculation that more members will step down!
Read full analysis here, on Campaign Diaries.
- Rep. Weller's connections to Latin America
The Chicago Tribune printed a detailed investigation today of Illinois Rep. Weller's land deals in Nicaragua. The bottom line:
Weller, a southwest suburban congressman with a fondness for Latin America, has sunk a large share of his investment capital into a land development in Nicaragua. But he didn't declare the extent of his holdings on his required congressional disclosures, and he indicated dramatically different purchase prices for the land in American and Nicaraguan records.
The article is a lenghty one, and the Tribune runs through all of the discrepancies of his financial disclosures and real estate deals. Allegations of unethical behavior have always been following Weller, but this article might signal the beginning of much more serious trouble. Weller has never had to face a close re-election race, but his district is a tight one: Bush got 53% of the vote here in 2004. If Weller becomes the Republican caucus's latest Doolittle, expect Democrats to target the district.
- The TNR profiles Stevens
The New Republic came out with a profile of Senator Ted Stevens, one of the Republican Senators currently investigated by the FBI. Michael Crowley calls Stevens "the Senate's angriest man" and begins by describing an appalling episode in which Stevens blames then fellow Alaska Senator Mike Gravel for the death of his wife in a plane crash because Ms. Stevens would not have been traveling at that moment if Gravel had not blocked a bill Stevens was working on! Check here for excerpts of the article, and more details about it, since the piece is for subscribers only at the TNR.
To be fair, Crowley ends the article by praising Stevens for managing to be an effective Senator in passing bills and bringing money back to his state - for bullying fellow senators effectively, if you will. But in the context of the ethical investigations against Ted Stevens, one has to wonder when such profiles start hurting the incumbent.
- More retirements to come?
To make matters worse, Republicans might soon have to defend more open seats. A week after John Warner announced his retirement, Chuck Hagel has called a press conference for Monday to announce his future plans. The conventional wisdom is that he will retire, setting up a bataille royale between Republicans and former Senator Bob Kerrey who has hinted he will jump in the race if Hagel retires. While this has nothing to do with ethical trouble, it increases the GOP's pressure a little bit more at the end of a difficult week.
The coming probable retirement from the House of Tom Davis from Virginia will also open up a very difficult seat for Republicans to defend.
Read full analysis here, on Campaign Diaries.