Democrats must compete in every district

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 18:31:22 PM CDT

Sen. James Seymour, a Republican from Woodbine, was charged at 2 p.m. on March 13, 2002, after he called a female prostitute decoy who was working with Des Moines police.

He arranged to meet her on the east side for oral sex and intercourse and handed over $90, according to a police report.

Earlier the same day, Seymour had filed papers to run for the Senate. He was elected eight months later.

No one knew about the incident except the authorities, his wife and his pastor until now, Seymour said Friday.
[...]

Seymour, 69, said in an interview Friday that the prostitution incident was a case of poor judgment. He said he does not intend to resign.
[...]

Voters in Senate District 28 have no recourse other than penciling in a write-in candidate's name on their ballots, according to state election officials. Deadlines to add or withdraw a candidate's name from the ballot have passed.

Later in the article, several Republicans make excuses for Seymour, saying he's been a good senator even if he made mistakes before being elected.

It's sickening to see the double-standard moralizing Republicans apply to public figures. Can you imagine if any elected Democrat had committed this crime?

Anyway, the Iowa Democratic Party should view this as a wake-up call. No more Republican incumbents should be left unchallenged. It wouldn't hurt to check court documents to see if any Republican candidates' names turn up either. It's ridiculous that he was able to keep this secret for so long.