Before Rep. Rodney “Turncoat” Alexander (R-La.) switched parties at the last minute, the Dems were looking to win 11 extra seats this year to regain the House majority. Alexander made it 12, but yesterday, Ed Schrock surprised everyone and put another key district in play.
Rep. Edward L. Schrock (R-Va.) abruptly dropped out of his race for a third term yesterday, citing unspecified “allegations” that he said called into question his ability to represent his Virginia Beach district.
In a statement, Schrock, 63, did not address the nature of the allegations, but he said they “will not allow my campaign to focus on the real issues facing our nation and region.” His chief of staff, Tom Gordy, refused any further comment last night.
The allegations center around a blog report, posted late last week, which appears to have an audio tape of Schrock soliciting sex on a telephone service for gay men. The blogger, Michael Rogers, was motivated by the fact that Schrock is a far-right conservative who co-sponsored the anti-gay Federal Marriage Amendment and has fought vehemently against any efforts to extend rights or benefits to the gay community.
He said the purpose of his Web site is to make public the names of lawmakers and other politicians who engage in such hypocrisy.
“Why should my community protect him?” Rogers asked. “He’s the enemy.”
I generally oppose any kind of attacks that delve into political figures’ personal life, but anyone who rails against gay people and attacks the so-called “homosexual agenda” while soliciting other men on a gay telephone service is inviting this kind of scrutiny.
But even more important for me is what happens next.
With just nine weeks until Election Day, the GOP will have to scramble to find a capable candidate quickly. Indeed, Schrock had to resign immediately because had he waited until Friday, the party would not have been able to replace his name on the ballot.
To be sure, this is a district that heavily leans Republican — Schrock has been Pat Robertson’s congressman, for example — but yesterday’s news may very well put the seat in play.
The Dems have fielded a terrific candidate named David Ashe, a moderate lawyer, Virginia Beach native, and a Marine officer who served in Iraq last year. In one of the nation’s most military-driven congressional districts, that last part is awfully important.
It should make for a pretty interesting House race that few expected to be competitive. Stay tuned.