Longtime Dem Congressman Embroiled in Corruption Charges Loses Primary

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Free Beacon:

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), who is currently facing more than two dozen corruption charges that include bribery and racketeering, has lost his congressional primary in Philadelphia.

 

Pennsylvania State Representative Dwight Evans defeated Fattah by six percentage points, according to election returns.

 

Fattah first entered Congress in 1995 and has easily won each of his elections since. However, four Democratic challengers jumped into the 2016 race, sensing vulnerability stemming from his current legal troubles.

 

A PPP poll conducted in January showed he trailed Evans by 16 points. Much of his trouble stemmed from his legal charges, as only 39 percent polled said they had a favorable view of the Fattah.

 

Fattah and four associates were indicted in July of last year on 29 corruption charges that stemmed from their roles in a racketeering conspiracy that included schemes to “further their political and financial interests” by misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal, campaign, and charitable funds.

 

The Department of Justice said that Fattah took an illegal $1 million loan from a wealthy supporter during his failed Philadelphia mayoral campaign in 2007 and disguised the funds as a loan to his consulting company.