Will Voters Still Bet on “Dollar Bill”?

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In a little less than two weeks, we’ll learn if the growing cloud of corruption allegations surrounding Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) will motivate his constituents to end his career before the Justice Department gets its shot to do the same.

On Saturday, December 9th, Jefferson’s fate will be decided by a runoff election in which he faces Democratic state Rep. Karen Carter. Will voters be content to wait around for Jefferson’s promised “honorable explanation” for why federal agents found $90,000 cash in his freezer?

No polls seem to be available, only a wide expectation that the race will be close. Jefferson led Carter 30%-22% in the general election, where there were a host of other Dem challengers.

To make matters even more interesting, the muck hasn’t stopped coming on Jefferson, despite the fact that the DoJ’s mammoth bribery investigation has gotten tied up in the courts over the FBI’s raid of Jefferson’s congressional office.

The FBI is also investigating a host of charities connected to Jefferson’s brother and sister, we learned last week. The groups have received “more than $7 million in funding from the state earmarked by either state Rep. Jalila Jefferson-Bullock, the congressman’s daughter, or former state Rep. Renee Gill Pratt, the congressman’s former legislative aide,” according to The Times-Picayune.

Add that to the fact that Jefferson’s been caught on tape apparently soliciting bribes, that he took a “personal loan” from an Ethiopian businessman five years ago which he’s never paid back and failed to report on his financial disclosure forms, and that he allegedly tried to hide evidence from FBI agents during their raid of his house, and it’s a wonder that this is even a contest. Of course, Jefferson has gamely tried to level the playing field by making ethics allegations against Carter — but with enough muck to keep several teams of FBI agents busy, that’s a tough case for Jefferson to make.

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