In a recent post I discussed Mark Sanford's bid for congress after his infamous affair. A lot has happened since then. For one, the GOP has pulled support from Sanford's campaign after his strange family life took an even stranger turn. Meanwhile, Sanford is fighting for his political life in a current dead heat with his opponent, Colbert-Busch.
The trend of political redemption has continued in 2013 with Anthony Weiner making an exploratory committee for a potential New York City Mayor bid. Weinner has far less of a chance than Sanford, but its still a fascinating story line.
I still believe that scandals have a negative impact upon candidates. but there is certainly evidence to suggest otherwise.
For another story on the effects of political scandals, check out the blog How Politicians Communicate with the American People:
http://politicalcommunicationandmessaging.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-missing-impact-of-scandals.html
This blog has a conflicting view point and some interesting data to support it. I still believe that a politicians with scandals are a bad investment. I guess we will see for sure later in 2013 when Sanford and Weinner conclude their respective redemption campaigns.
I have been following this race because, as a Democrat, the possibility of chipping away at the GOPs majority in the House is very exciting, and the fact that Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch is Stephen Colbert's sister is pretty cool. The most recent article I read said that polls showed its gonna be a tight race, compared to a poll 2 weeks ago in which Colbert Busch had a 10-point lead. It is a heavily conservative district but Mark Sanford's unpopularity makes this race a toss up. Over the weekend the major newspaper in the district, the Charlotte Post and Courier endorsed Colbert Busch despite previously endorsing Republicans such as Nikki Haley, Tim Scott and Mitt Romney.
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