San Diego, CA.- San Diego Congressman Duncan Hunter and wife Margaret have been indicted on fraud and campaign finance related charges.
The charges stem from Hunter and his wife's misuse of $250,000 worth of campaign funds for personal expenses and the filing of false campaign finance records. The Department of Justice investigation went on for more than a year.
A federal grand jury in California returned the 48-page indictment detailing the allegations against the couple.
Republican Party leaders had long worried that with a potential indictment looming, Hunter's traditionally safe district which makes up much of eastern San Diego County could be at risk of Democratic takeover in November's midterm election.
Michael Smolens Interview
The 50th Congressional Race was part of an interview I did with San Diego Union-Tribune Columnist Michael Smolens. The Union-Tribune has been very critical of Hunter and we discussed the race and if he thought his opponent, Ammar Campa-Najjar, had a chance to win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LqpRucId5o
What's Next?
Hunter's Democratic challenger, Ammar Campa-Najjar, a former department of labor aide in the Obama administration, has reportedly outraised him.
If a federal candidate chooses to withdraw from contention, their name will remain on the ballot unless they seek removal of their name from a judge, according to the California Secretary of State's office.
At this late juncture, there is no possibility of a write-in campaign. Only Hunter and Campa-Najjar will appear on the November ballot, since they were the top vote-getters in California's top-two primary in June.