Friday, May 7, 2010

Z Upset in Michigan City, Indiana

Last month, on Tax Day, we wrote about a nasty Democratic primary fight for prosecutor in LaPorte County, Indiana that included racial mudslinging.

The campaign of Bob "Z" Szilagyi (pictured) had taken a page from the Karl Rove political playbook: tar and feather your political opponents.

And this past Tuesday, there was an unexpected upset caused by a mere 400 votes.

The Herald Argus reports:
Pulling off an upset in Tuesday’s primary election, challenger Bob Szilagyi edged out incumbent La Porte County Prosecutor Rob Beckman to win the Democratic nomination.With his victory, Szilagyi beat the three-term incumbent who was first elected in 1998. The race was one of the more controversial county-wide contests. During the campaign, Szilagyi worked to define his opponent as too hot-tempered to be prosecutor. He cited an instance where Beckman went on a profanity-laced tirade against a Michigan City police officer and another in which Beckman used racially charged language during a 2003 court case.

Who said smears and mudslinging don't work? Ask Karl, or better yet, contact Z.