Todd Rokita’s campaign manager quits!
Published : Monday, 18 Oct 2010, 1:49 PM EDT
By: Jim Shella
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)
The campaign manager quit over the weekend, less than three weeks before Election Day. She is the third campaign manager to leave the 4th District Republican since the May primary. And it comes at a time when Democrat David Sanders is accusing Todd Rokita of hiring a convicted child molester to work on his campaign staff.
Todd Rokita is a heavy favorite in the race to replace retiring Republican Steve Buyer but his campaign for Congress has been anything but smooth. Cam Savage left as campaign manager after the May primary when Savage went on to run the Dan Coats for Senate campaign. Mike Sullivan replaced Savage. Over the summer, Rokita replaced Sullivan with Laken Sisko, who quit over the weekend.
In between, Rokita was questioned about hiring a child molester during a recent debate on 24-Hour News 8’s sister station, WLFI in Lafayette.
“A member of Todd Rokita’s campaign staff is well known in our community as a convicted sex offender and child molester,” said David Sanders. “He was in charge of volunteers for months.”
Rokita gave a clumsy answer.
“I welcome anyone who is genuine in heart and genuine in mind to help get this country back,” he said. “We don’t police everyone who wants to sign up on a website or join us at a parade or anything like that. We welcome anyone in Indiana who follows the laws. If anyone doesn’t follow the laws in my campaign, they’re immediately removed.”
Rokita later told reporters the staffer in question was fired when he learned about the conviction.
Calls to the Rokita campaign and Rokita’s spokesman in the Secretary of State’s office were not returned and neither was a call to Laken Sisko, the campaign manager who quit over the weekend. Late this afternoon, Scott Bowers sent an e-mail that says he will become the campaign manager for Rokita effective tomorrow. He moves over from Rokita’s Secretary of State staff.
Rokita is expected to take part in another debate in Frankfort Monday night.
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