Poll: Cheating politicians better than those who abuse power

A new poll (and a timely one) released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University shows that voters dislike politicians who abuse their power more than those caught in extramarital affairs.

The poll presented voters with a hypothetical congressman named James Miller, whose “main concern in office is developing policies to help middle-class, working families.” Miller was described as being 53 and married with two children.

“Voters clearly see a difference between personal and official scandals. Committing adultery is far less damaging to a politician than abusing their office,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “Whether it was adultery or abuse of power, our scandal-ridden politician was unable to secure a majority for reelection, reflecting an underlying reluctance on the part of American voters to support transgressors.”

The poll also shows that voters have less tolerance if the politician is a hypocrite. For example, in one scenario where those polled were told Miller’s priority is “promoting moral values,” only 28 percent said they’d vote for him after an extramarital affair.

That’s bad news for GOP Rep. Vance McAllister (La.), after video recently surfaced of him getting it on with one of his staffers.