Local scandals in several states with elections vital to Republicans retaining control of the House could reinforce the general “throw the bums out” attitude and help push GOP members out.

“If you look at specific states were corruption has been an issue — places like Ohio where you have Gov. [Bob] Taft embroiled in what was called ‘Coingate,’ where a state official tried to bilk the state government of hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions — the width of that scandalis affecting races all over the ballot in the state,” said David Wasserman, the house race editor for Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a project sponsored by the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “You are seeing [Ohio] Democrats doing much better than would be anticipated without the presence of this shadow casting down over the Republican ticket.”