|
A new Republican poll indicates Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) is the most endangered incumbent in the country days after a news report showed he paid a former mistress hush money. The poll, released Friday and conducted for Republican Tom Rooney’s campaign and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), shows a big shift in the race, which Mahoney had been leading. He is now behind Rooney, 55 percent to 29 percent, with 16 percent of voters undecided. ABC News reported Monday that Mahoney paid former aide Patricia Allen more than $120,000 and arranged work at a consulting firm after she threatened to sue him. The poll was conducted Wednesday and Thursday.Mahoney apologized for hurting his family but has said the issue is private and that he did nothing illegal. He has called for the House Ethics Committee to investigate, but voters will issue their own verdict in two and a half weeks. Rooney released a poll in September showing Mahoney ahead, 48-41. The latest poll was conducted by the Tarrance Group among 300 likely voters. It had a 5.8 percent margin of error. Mahoney had a 28 percent favorable rating, compared to 53 percent unfavorable. The district was already a top GOP target, but Mahoney was notching significant endorsements and appeared to be benefiting from a strong Democratic year. His problems have forced national Democrats to stop spending money on him. He has not indicated that he will drop out of the race, but if he did, he would remain on the ballot, with local Democrats picking a replacement that would run using his name. The same situation occurred in 2006, when former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) exited the race too late to change the ballot following revelations about inappropriate conduct with House pages. Mahoney won that race narrowly, and many people attributed it to the ballot situation. A Mahoney spokeswoman did not immediately comment.
|
