The Devil Is In This Candidate's Details
That's what Utah congressional candidate John Jacob has been talking about to reporters lately. And while the conversation is getting him some attention, it might not be the good kind (hat tip for this story to Hotline's Wake-Up Call, subscription required). Jacob is seeking to unseat Congressman Chris Cannon and here's how the Salt Lake Tribune covers the story today:
As if beating a five-term congressman wasn't hard enough, John Jacob said he has another foe working against him: the devil.When asked if he really believed the devil is, well, bedeviling his campaign, Jacob told the paper: "I don't know who else it would be if it wasn't him. Now when that gets out in the paper, I'm going to be one of the screw-loose people." Another lesson from campaigning 101 – if you think something you say is going to make you seem like you've got screw loose, you probably shouldn't say it. Here's how one Utah political observer sees it:"There's another force that wants to keep us from going to Washington, D.C.," Jacob said. "It's the devil is what it is. I don't want you to print that, but it feels like that's what it is."
Jacob said Thursday that since he decided to run for Congress against Rep. Chris Cannon, Satan has bollixed his business deals, preventing him from putting as much money into the race as he had hoped.
University of Utah political scientist Matthew Burbank said Jacob's sentiment is unusual for a political candidate and might show his inexperience, but is unlikely to be a major issue for the conservative voters he is targeting.At least he could always say that the devil made him do it."Given that, I don't think it's very likely to make a big splash among Republican primary voters, but certainly if he gets through to the general election it might come up again and he'd have to explain it more," Burbank said.