HomeLeading The News Sen. Craig’s handling of scandal, colleagues’ response, sealed fate
Leading The News
Sen. Craig’s handling of scandal, colleagues’ response, sealed fate
By Elana Schor
Posted: 09/04/07 05:57 PM [ET]
The political doom of Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) may have been sealed when he left it to his staff to warn Republican leaders early last week that his arrest in an airport sex sting was soon to become public.
After the news broke, according to GOP leadership sources, Craig’s first contact with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) came when McConnell told the Idahoan that senior Republicans were referring his case to the Ethics Committee.
While scarred by the scandal, Senate Republicans are betting the strong response from party leaders — along with Craig’s announced resignation — will buoy the GOP in the wake of a trying recess. Even before the shock of Craig’s dizzying fall wore off, Republican aides were praising leaders’ decision to speak with one voice while leaving rank-and-file members to respond individually.
“Once leadership [sent] a strong signal, saying he’ll be stepping down from his committee assignments, that made it clear that his position was untenable and it would be a matter of time,” one GOP aide said. “This was, without question, a much more rapid response because of [last year’s scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark] Foley (R-Fla.), and I think that was the right thing to do.”
A second Republican aide said the surprise revelation of Craig’s guilty plea following his June arrest in the Minneapolis airport made it difficult for most in the party to reserve judgment. Even so, the aide added, a coordinated conference message could have made damage control more difficult.
“You don’t want to look like your party’s speaking in lockstep on this,” the aide said. “It’s more everybody’s visceral reactions which is probably needed.”
Another GOP aide agreed on the benefit of the swift response from McConnell, who bested Craig in a tense 2002 whip race: “When all of leadership’s on the same page, that obviously makes it easier.”
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), both facing challenging campaigns next year, took the rare step of calling for Craig’s resignation fewer than 48 hours after the salacious details of the airport arrest leaked out.
Craig quickly joined the ranks of Foley, Jack Abramoff and other exemplars of GOP scandal, with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Coleman — all up for reelection in 2008 — announcing they would donate contributions from Craig’s leadership political action committee to charity.
The pressure on Craig rapidly increased during the final recess week, and many on the Hill predicted the stalwart social conservative would leave politics before submitting to more questions about his alleged homosexual overture to a plainclothes police officer.
Yet a handful of Craig’s allies held their fire ahead of the announcement of his resignation.
“We cannot rush to judgment here,” Domenici said, praising GOP leaders’ actions as “a good first step toward getting the facts.”
Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who worked closely with Craig during the six years that both served in leadership, made a veiled reference to his own struggle with scandal in 2002.
“I am shocked and I am disappointed … but I also have learned the hard way that before you jump to conclusions or call on people to do one thing or another, at least know all of the facts,” Lott told Bloomberg TV in the middle of last week.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), a fellow Westerner and appropriator, also declined to pass judgment in the early days of the scandal.
And Craig appeared ready to resist attempts to force him out less than 24 hours before he stepped down, when Sid Smith, Craig’s Idaho spokesman, denied reports of a resignation.
“He hasn’t decided” whether to attend Tuesday night’s vote, Smith said, “but does have plans to return to the Capitol at this time.”
Craig will formally leave office Sept. 30.
Patrick Sammon, president of the gay GOP group Log Cabin Republicans, said Republican leaders responded appropriately to the Craig revelations. Nonetheless, he was unsure whether the damaging behavior of Foley, Craig, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and others will diminish the party’s campaigning on cultural issues.
“I hope so, but it remains to be seen whether they’re learning or not,” Sammon said, adding: “There’s a real credibility problem for the party. We should focus on things that unite Republicans — limited government, strong national defense, low taxes and personal responsibility.”
While candidates to succeed Craig waited in the wings, Sen. John Warner’s (R-Va.) retirement compounded the September stress for Republicans. Given the likelihood of a bruising primary battle for the Virginia GOP, Idaho Republicans are likely to clear the field for one of several aspiring heirs to Craig’s seat to run as the Republican nominee in 2008.
“Let’s call it a pivotal month, but in my mind everything that will probably happen has already been anticipated,” Jennifer Duffy, senior editor at The Cook Political Report, said. “We’ve seen Warner’s retirement coming. If not for his current situation, I think a Craig retirement announcement would have elicited a yawn. Republicans are going to have a tough month, but I don’t see any real surprises.”
Now that Craig has resigned, Idaho state law allows Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter (R), a longtime Craig ally and former House member, to appoint a new senator to serve until November 2008. Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, who left the governor’s office last year to clear a path for Otter, reportedly has the inside track for the seat.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), considered another likely senatorial candidate, had only $75,000 in his campaign coffers as of June, casting doubt on his ability to compete statewide against Democrat Larry LaRocco next year.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats stayed largely mum on Craig’s plight, which reached a fever pitch of embarrassment after Minneapolis police released tapes of the senator’s interrogation. Presidential hopeful Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) spoke on the scandal, counseling against a rush to judgment.
“It’s nothing we have to push — this plays itself out,” one Democratic aide said. “As Republicans continue to abandon their colleague, that only fuels the fire.”
