Foley Scandal Tops Campaigns Nationwide

An unidentified U.S. Capitol Police officer changes the lock on one of the doors leading to the former office of former Rep.Mark Foley, R-Fla. House Republican leaders are facing questions of what, and when, they knew about the former GOP representative's inappropriate electronic communications with teenage males who had worked as pages. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) (Lauren Victoria Burke - AP)

"Whether it's knowledge of intolerable conduct within the House or warnings about the war in Iraq, this Congress just doesn't want to face reality, much less hold anyone accountable. They'll say and do anything to hold onto power," said Paul Hodes, a Democrat challenging GOP Rep. Charlie Bass in New Hampshire.

Said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif: "They're shaking in their boots because they didn't tell us. They're scared to death because they didn't tell us, because it's totally their responsibility. They know it and they admit it."

Democrats also aim to put Republican candidates in an uncomfortable position, calling on them not only to denounce Foley but join in saying that GOP leaders who knew about the contact between the then-congressman and former pages should resign. They also are pressuring their GOP rivals to return or donate money he contributed to their campaigns, and in at least one case, Democrats are preparing to run ads on the matter.

"It shocks the conscience. Congressional leaders have admitted covering up the predatory behavior of a congressman who used the Internet to molest children," Patty Wetterling, the Democratic candidate for a Minnesota House seat, says in the script of a television ad. Wetterling's son disappeared 17 years ago.

Nevermind that Hastert or other Republican leaders dispute Democratic accusations of a cover-up. Roth said Tuesday that his client is not a pedophile and "never attempted to have sexual contact with a minor" and "never had sexual contact with a minor."

Wetterling's opponent for an open seat in Minnesota, state Sen. Michele Bachmann, has called the messages between Foley and teens "an obscene breach of trust."

Tim Babcock, a longtime Republican activist who served as Montana's governor in the 1960s, expressed confidence that the Foley matter would have little affect among rank-and-file Republicans in his state. "They'll recognize in the end that this is just a political ploy the Democrats are just trying to build up," Babcock said.

Nevertheless, as the scandal roils the House GOP leadership in Washington, Republican congressional candidates across the country are fending off questions about their own affiliations with Foley and seeking to minimize the personal political fallout.

A growing number of Republicans have returned or donated money they received from Foley to charities, and many are denouncing his actions as disgusting and outrageous.

Running for an open seat in New York, Republican candidate Ray Meier said investigations into Foley's conduct should pay special attention "to who knew about Foley's behavior, when they knew, and why it took so long for these matters to be confronted and for action to be taken."

As the Foley scandal unfolded Monday, Rep. Jim Gerlach, a Republican in a tough re-election fight in Pennsylvania, postponed a fundraiser that had been scheduled with House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, because Gerlach "felt it was inappropriate to move ahead with it as planned."

While the Foley messages have put Republicans on the defensive, two Connecticut incumbents sought to turn the tables are their Democratic opponents, accusing them of being weak on anti-sexual predator laws.

Rep. Nancy Johnson singled out a 1999 vote by her Democratic challenger, state Sen. Chris Murphy, opposing a landlord-tenant bill that would have made it difficult for convicted sex-offenders to live in public housing. Murphy said he voted against the legislation because it gave landlords greater authority to evict poor families.

Rep. Rob Simmons dug up a 1994 vote by his challenger, former state Rep. Joe Courtney, opposing a provision requiring sex offenders to register with local police departments. Courtney aides said he opposed it because it did not permit authorities to make the information public. Courtney ultimately voted for the provision as part of a broader bill creating a DNA data bank for sex offenders.

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Associated Press Writer Matt Sedensky in Sunrise, Fla., contributed to this report.