Republican Steve Montenegro, the frontrunner to replace disgraced former Republican Rep. Trent Franks in Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District, was embroiled in a scandal of his own on Wednesday and losing the support of prominent conservatives.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, among Montenegro’s high profile backers, couldn’t be reached for comment. But local conservative activists were abandoning him after the Arizona Republic published an expose on an alleged improper relationship the married father had with a legislative aide while he was still a member of the state Senate.
The relationship was sexual in nature, causing at least two conservative female activists to renounce their support for Montenegro and call on him to drop out of the race, just days before the special election primary to replace Franks, a Republican who resigned last year amid a House ethics inquiry into sexual harassment charges in his congressional office.
“Media reports allege inappropriate relations by @SteveMontenegro. [Facebook] post didn’t clearly deny allegations,” tweeted Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative think tank. “Absent a clear denial or evidence to the contrary, I call upon him to withdraw from #az08 race. I urge voters to consider other candidates…”
State Sen. Nancy Barto, a Republican who usually takes the lead pro-life legislation in the legislature, joined Herrod in calling for Montenegro to drop out of the race. “Agree! @SteveMontenegro should withdraw. Support Debbie Lesko in this one. A woman with integrity,” she tweeted. Lesko has been endorsed by top members of the House Freedom Caucus, including Reps. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
State Sen. Karen Fann joined Barto in calling for Montenegro to exit the race not long after her tweet posted. Neither Barto or Fann were Montenegro supporters. But Republican sources in Arizona told the Washington Examiner that more conservatives were poised to call on him to withdraw, saying that others who did back him could yank their endorsements.
Montenegro is denying allegations of improper conduct, although he is not specifically denying the affair.
“Tonight I saw a despicable example of the tabloid trash that conservatives around this country have to deal with on a regular basis,” Montenegro said in the statement. “I am blessed with an amazing wife and marriage. The media wants to drag us down with just a week to go, but we are not going to dignify this false tabloid trash with any further response,” he said in a statement published by the Arizona Republican, that was issued after news reports of the allegations surfaced.
Montenegro has been the consensus conservative pick to replace Franks. In addition to the Cruz endorsement, he has picked up the endorsement of several top Republicans in Arizona and Washington.
Surviving sexual impropriety scandals has become more difficult in the wake of last fall’s bombshell New York Times report about the years of alleged sexual abuse and harassment perpetrated by Hollywood mega-producer (and Democratic campaign donor) Harvey Weinstein. Casino mogul Steve Wynn was recently forced to step down as the Republican National Committee’s finance chairman after a Wall Street Journal investigation into his history as an alleged sexual harasser and abuser.
