Fans of the “All Muck is Local” feature on TPM Muckraker will enjoy the latest edition, featuring a wild story out of West Virginia. In 2002, State Senator Oshel Craigo (D-W.Va.) was defeated by Lisa Smith (R), thanks in large part to accusations that Craigo was under a federal investigation for falsely filing a campaign finance report. Charges were never brought, but it didn’t matter — the rumors sunk his campaign.
As it turns out, the same time his Republican challenger was making accusations of criminal wrongdoing, she was also apparently committing tax fraud and submitting false campaign finance statements. She was later indicted — but was briefly declared mentally unfit for trial.
It’s quite a story. Take a look.
