I'm not a Mannix fan, but I have to say that it certainly looks like Mike Erickson has been called out truthfully by Mannix.

From the Oregonian:

U gly developments in Oregon's 5th Congressional District race make it clear that one of the leading Republican contenders should drop out.

If reports about past conduct by Mike Erickson can be substantiated, he's the one who should beat a hasty exit for the sake of his party. His opponent, Kevin Mannix, in an 11th-hour direct mail appeal to 60,000 GOP voters, raised allegations that Erickson got a woman pregnant eight years ago, gave her money to have an abortion and callously dropped her off at the door of a clinic where she had the procedure.

Erickson says the story isn't true, but if it holds up, it could doom his candidacy in November should he become the Republican nominee. His party's anti-abortion constituency would not be alone in seeing hypocrisy in his claim to be a "pro-life, pro-family" candidate.


However, if the story proves untrue, Mannix would become the poisoned candidate. He would be guilty of spreading a falsehood so reckless that it would leave him unfit for office.

So who are voters to believe? It's troubling that mail ballots must be returned this week before the Mannix allegations can be fully investigated, but for the moment he appears to have the superior credibility.

As evidence, Mannix has a 2006 e-mail, purportedly written by a woman named Kristi Oetken, claiming to be a friend of a woman named "Tawnya" who had an abortion paid for by Erickson. Mannix says sources he trusts interviewed both women and found their story believable, and the Portland Tribune posted a detailed interview with the woman named Tawnya.

That's not proof, but it's powerful ammunition, so volatile that an innocent Erickson would want to go public immediately to offer a specific defense. Instead, he and his campaign hunkered down Tuesday, not returning phone calls but sending out an e-mail statement blasting Mannix's "smear tactics" while offering no specific denial of his charges.

Mannix met with The Oregonian's editorial board Tuesday to explain how he vetted the allegations and why he circulated them. He also made a strong case for why he considers Erickson to be a "political sociopath." Erickson's response to the allegations has gone through several iterations, including flat denial, and he did not respond Tuesday to repeated invitations to speak with the editorial board.

Indeed, Erickson has put out campaign materials that appear to have misrepresented his employment history and political endorsements. Oregon Right to Life, for example, has endorsed Mannix in this race, yet some of Erickson's campaign literature makes it seem as though he is the group's favored candidate.

Then there's the cloud over Erickson's political past. He was disqualified as Portland State University student body president during the 1987-88 school year when the student constitution committee found that he altered a letter written by then Gov. Neil Goldschmidt to make it appear as an endorsement. In a failed bid for the Oregon House in 1988, Erickson did a similar thing with a letter from then Sen. Mark Hatfield.

"Political sociopath" is an awfully harsh label, but it's going to stick on Erickson unless he goes public, and soon, with a convincing case that the Mannix allegations are unfounded.

From KGW:

Congressional candidate Mike Erickson is using a new television ad to respond to allegations that he paid for a woman to have an abortion.

The 30-second ad, released late Wednesday, includes a bold headline declaring “Kevin Mannix Smears Erickson.” Mannix and Erickson are vying for Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District.

In a written statement, Erickson calls the allegations false. But, he has yet to reply to any questions and not granted any interviews since his republican rival dropped the political bombshell earlier this week in a letter sent to 60,000 voters.

The accusations surfaced in an email, in which a woman named “Christi” claims in 2000 Erickson “drove my friend (whom he impregnated) to an abortion clinic in NE Portland, handed her some cash, and left her at the door.” If true, this would conflict with Erickson’s family values and right to life stance.

The woman behind the email, Christi, tells Newschannel 8 “I don’t think it is politically motivated at all.” Christi says she is not a Mannix supporter.

She wants the truth to come out about Erickson and her friend, “At 25, she was very, in a very vulnerable situation, you know being a single mom, barely making ends meet, and I think he kind of swept her away."

Newschannel 8 contacted the woman who allegedly had the abortion on Tuesday. She confirmed the story and added, “There’s isn’t much more to say about it.”

As a 5th District Democrat, this story makes me quite happy. Either Mannix is a huge liar, or Erickson is a huge hypocrite. Either way the story goes, and either candidate that wins the GOP primary, will be damaged goods big time. I certainly hope that my 5th district will say NO to both of these sleazy bastards and keep a Democrat in office.

your a very sad person.

I'm no shrink, but Vitalogy sounds quite happy to me. Perhaps you are the one feeling sad?

Andrew

Marvin_the_martian
This whole side of the pdxradio board has mostly very sad and unrighteous views of life and living. GOD BE WITH THEM ALL!

To be on topic...the TV ads that Erickson has been running against Mannix have been pretty nasty but he just might get the nod because he has so much more money being spent. I think Mannix is the better man only cause I know him more living in Salem and have heard good things he has done for the Catholic/Christian communities especially in the area of education.
Mannix's last ditch efforts to nail Erickson might be to late. Should of done a month ago timing-wise.

They are both skeezy pond scum, regardless of party affiliation. One is a huge hypocrite and the other is using a sleazy tactic to win. Shame on both of them.

Mrs...for a second I thot you were talking about Pres and Mrs Clinton.

Why would you "thot" that on a thread about Mannix and Erickson?

But actually you're half right, "Pres" Bush is both.

They are both skeezy pond scum

The perfect definition of ALL politicians!

Whats crazy is that most everyone in the world wants to live in America...even with our "skeezy pond scum" politicians. At least our politicians don't have those WWF fights in our meeting halls...yet.

Keep lowering that standard, Broadway.

" At least our Ritz cheese snacks have 4 times the amount of daily sodium! "

Let it be known that Mike Erickson is yet another so-called pro-life, pro-family Republican who has not only cheated on his wife, but paid for an abortion. This is why pro-lifers have no credibility when it comes to their cause, as they are the first to drop of their hussy at the clinic to rid themselves of their bad judgment whilst claiming the high road.

>>At least our Ritz cheese snacks have 4 times the amount of daily sodium!

Sorry no thank you... watching the high blood pressure.

Sounds like this is a smaller/Republican version
of the Hillary/Obama feud.

"I'm not a Mannix fan"

I'm not either.
But I used to watch him when I was a kid.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061277/

Thread jack of sorts:

One of the races that we are about to decide on includes a canidate that me and my father personally have dirt on. I had thought a great deal about giving this information to a political opponent of this person but because of the recent events in my life have decided not to.

What would you do if you had some tasty dirt on a political canidate you disliked? I am not talking as if you are with the campaign or are the opponent but rather a regular joe.

Is it ethical? Or is it just the right thing to do?

I doubt the canidate in question is going to win because they are not spending money in the same manner as the opponents are but this canidate has been getting endorsements.

I'd keep it to myself. Doesn't matter which side of the isle I have the dirt on.

By divulging it, you (generic term) stoop to their level.

That's one of my major complaints about political ads.

They never say what they are all about. All they do is dig up dirt on their opponent. I could care less about that crap. Tell me WHY you are better than your opponent not how many people they have knocked up, slept with etc.

Now, once they are in office, I expect them to behave to the high standard of the office.

ALL politicians SUCK.

I disagree. Depending on the level of dirt and how it applies to the election, you have an obligation to come forward and let people know. In the case of Mike Erickson, he claims to be a pro-life, pro-family guy, yet if he cheated on his wife, got his mistress pregnant, then paid for her abortion to keep everything secret, I think people have a right to know. The guy ain't as advertised.

My ballot is still in the trash.

I disagree. Depending on the level of dirt and how it applies to the election, you have an obligation to come forward and let people know.

Unless you (generic) have 100% proof positive, then you are just spreading rumors and are no better than the politicians.

This thing with Mike Erickson is just that. They interviewed him on KATU tonight and he denied it.

So who do you believe?

Again, unless there is 100% proof positive (which there isn't, all there is is he said, she said) all it is is an allegation.

Of course he denies it. Jails are filled with people that deny the crime they have been convicted of.

At this point, I don't believe Erickson's denial. There's too much proof on the other side that indicates the story is true, and even though I think Mannix is a dirtbag, he is a lawyer and I would expect that he would not put out such information without rock solid proof. Plus, I think the way Erickson has handled things since the allegation is also an indication that the story is true.

Either way, this will make it more likely that no matter who wins the GOP primary, that the Democrats will have a better chance of retaining this seat.

Looks to me like Mannix was correct and Erickson is shamelessly lying...not only about his involvment in a "not so much family values kind of relationship" but also about drug use.

Speaking publicly for the first time Thursday to defend himself against accusations of hypocrisy and dishonesty, Republican congressional candidate Mike Erickson denied that he knowingly paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion.

He acknowledged dating a woman named Tawnya for "a couple of months" in 2000 and helping her with financial problems but said he was unaware she became pregnant or had the procedure.

"I never asked anybody in my life to have an abortion," Erickson said. "Did I pay for an abortion? Absolutely not."

Erickson, who is in a tight battle with Kevin Mannix in the Republican primary to represent Oregon's 5th Congressional District, said in an interview with The Oregonian it was a casual relationship and that he could not remember her last name or where she lived.

One day she asked him for a ride to a doctor's appointment, he said. She also asked for financial help, and he gave her $300, he said, adding that their relationship soon ended.

The abortion charge surfaced in 2006 when Erickson ran against Rep. Darlene Hooley. Kristi Oetken, a friend of Tawnya, sent an e-mail to Hooley and media outlets claiming Erickson knew he had impregnated the woman and knowingly gave her money for an abortion. The allegations remain unsubstantiated.

Oetken, who has declined several interview requests, also alleged that Erickson held "wild parties" where cocaine was used.

"I've never used cocaine. I wouldn't know what it looks like," Erickson said, adding that he has never used illegal drugs or tobacco.

On Monday, Mannix sent a letter disclosing the 2006 allegations to 60,000 Republican voters. He continued to press the allegations Thursday, this time with a letter sent to 36,000 Republican women who haven't voted.

The letter, from Gayle Atteberry, executive director of Oregon Right to Life, called on Erickson to withdraw from the race, accusing him of dishonesty both in seeking the organization's 2006 endorsement and in denying he had any role in Tawnya's alleged abortion.

The letter provides details about discussions with Erickson when Oetken first made her allegations.

"When we approached Mike about these allegations, he admitted giving her money and dropping her at a 'doctor's office.' He said he did not know she was getting an abortion," Atteberry wrote. "No matter where you stand on abortion, Mike's actions are troubling."

Oregon Right to Life endorsed Erickson in 2006, when he ran against Rep. Darlene Hooley. This year the organization endorsed Mannix.

your a very sad person.

Marvin...
It's time to look inside yourself and ponder YOUR very words.