On Saturday, the New York Times published a bombshell story reporting that GOP Rep. Pat Meehan, who represents a competitive seat in the Philadelphia suburbs, had used thousands in taxpayer dollars to settle a misconduct complaint leveled against him by a former staffer.
The woman, whose name has been withheld, says that in 2016, a senior male aide to Meehan professed a romantic interest in her. She reported the advance to Meehan, and the senior aide left after a reaching an agreement with the congressman. But soon afterwards, Meehan, who is married, himself became interested in the woman, according to the Times, growing “jealous” when he found out she was dating someone and “hostile” when she did not reciprocate his attentions, which included a handwritten letter.
The woman filed a complaint against Meehan last summer and left her job, and the two eventually reached a confidential settlement. The Times, which based this report on interviews with 10 individuals, says that the woman's complaint led to “estrangement from her colleagues, and isolation from friends, family and her boyfriend,” adding that the amount she received did not “cover her legal and living expenses while she was out of work.”
After the story broke, Meehan's office issued a statement saying the congressman "denies these allegations" and calling on his former aide to wave the confidentiality agreement governing their settlement. While some Democrats have called for Meehan to resign, no Republicans have as yet. However, House Speaker Paul Ryan immediately removed Meehan from the House Ethics Committee, where Meehan had, in a painful irony, been involved in combating sexual harassment, and insisted he should repay the taxpayer money he used to settle the matter.
But Meehan’s—and the GOP’s—woes go much deeper. Meehan’s swingy seat narrowly went for both Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton, but up until this week, he presented a very tough target for Democrats. Notably, Meehan had a reputation as a whatever passes for a moderate in today’s Republican Party, and he was a strong fundraiser. But the NRCC is now acting leery of Meehan, with committee chair Steve Stivers saying that, while he's "not going to assume somebody’s guilty until proven innocent," he wants to wait until the facts come out before deciding if his organization will support the congressman. That’s anything but a strong expression of support.
Soon enough, though, the GOP may not even have a 7th District that’s worth saving, at least as we presently know it. On Monday, the state Supreme Court struck down Pennsylvania’s GOP-drawn congressional map, which you can read about in greater detail here. But we'll just note that the 7th District is a strong contender for the most gerrymandered House seat in the nation, having been likened to “Goofy kicking Donald Duck.” Just over half of this inkblot of a seat is located in Meehan's home base of Delaware County, from whence it awkwardly snakes north to take in part Montgomery County, while a narrow corridor connects the seat to more conservative turf to the west. This seat is likely to get a bit bluer under a new map, and while it might not transform into an automatic Democratic pickup, it will be tougher for Team Red to hold, whether with a damaged Meehan or an entirely new nominee.
We also saw a new development on the Democratic side on Monday. A few hours before the state Supreme Court released its ruling, former CIA officer Shelly Chauncey announced she would run. Chauncey, who has worked undercover in Latin America and East Asia, has not sought office before, but she may already have some useful political connections. An unnamed Delaware County political insider tells the Philadelphia Inquirer that "one or two" major donors are supporting her, and Chauncey herself says that EMILY's List "seem[s] supportive and are offering their assistance."
A few other Democrats have been running here, but state Sen. Daylin Leach was the only one who had raised much money by the end of September. Leach was accused of sexual harassment in mid-December and said he would "step back" from his campaign, but he hasn't said if he'll get re-enter the race or not. Needless to say, Leach is exactly the wrong candidate to prosecute the case against Meehan. However, with Pennsylvania's congressional map and Pat Meehan’s career in flux, the field may change a lot here. The candidate filing deadline is set for early March, but that date could also change pending the implementation of a new map.
