WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) launched an effort to compile the most corrupt and unethical candidates vying for federal office in 2010. CREW’s Crooked Candidates highlights 11 candidates with scandal-littered pasts and histories of questionable ethics. CREW’s Crooked Candidates focuses on office-seekers who have engaged in unethical and, in one case, even criminal conduct. Their misdeeds range from quid pro quo schemes to abusing state office for the benefit of friends and donors, to an obscenity charge. A few candidates even made the list because of their involvement in national political scandals: two were involved in the Abramoff investigation and one played a role in the Bush administration’s politicization of the U.S. Attorneys’ offices.
With more than 2,300 people running for office this year, CREW’s list is likely only the tip of the iceberg. CREW invites anyone who thinks we’ve missed a particularly disgraceful federal candidate to forward information about that candidate’s misdeeds so we can add them to the list. Submissions should be emailed to: Tipline@citizensforethics.org.
“From Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek’s shady relationship with a real estate developer to J.D. Hayworth’s close ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, to Ed Martin destroying state records – these 11 candidates represent the bottom of the barrel,” said CREW’s Executive Director Melanie Sloan. “America deserves better.”
This year’s election includes the greatest number of candidates in at least 35 years. Mirroring an electoral field that skews to the right, CREW’s list includes 8 Republicans, 2 Democrats and 1 Independent. Excluding incumbents, CREW’s research team poured over news articles, blogs and public records to identify the 11 candidates. CREW’s list is unranked and appears in alphabetical order:
Roy Blunt (R) U.S. Senate, MO
Charlie Crist (I) U.S. Senate, FL
Jeff Denham (R) U.S. House, CA
Alvin Greene (D) U.S. Senate, SC
Timothy Griffin (R) U.S. House, AR
J.D. Hayworth (R) U.S. Senate, AZ
Ed Martin (R) U.S. House, MO
Kendrick Meek (D) U.S. Senate, FL
Dino Rossi (R) U.S. Senate, WA
Marco Rubio (R) U.S. Senate, FL
Allen West (R) U.S. House, FL
