OR-4: As state investigation continues, doubts about Sid Leiken's candidacy percolate

Kari Chisholm

Late last week, the Elections Division asked congressional candidate Sid Leiken's mother, Glenda Leiken, for more information to substantiate his claim that she conducted a $2000 poll for his mayoral campaign. (Read the letter yourself [16k, PDF].)

It seems that the Elections Division's investigators are zeroing in on the question of whether the poll was even conducted at all.

Please provide copies of any documentation to substantiate this activity, including checks, invoices, bank statements, receipts and any contracts or agreements to provide the service.

As I mentioned last week, while it's not a crime to hire a really bad pollster - even if it's your mother - there are so many inconsistencies with Sid Leiken's story that there's a question as to whether a poll was even ever conducted; or if this is just a cover story for some other sort of shenanigans.

And despite the anonymous trolling from Leiken fans on earlier posts - suggesting that I'm the only one who cares about "beating on this dead horse" - the story's actually picking up steam.

The Oregonian's Jeff Mapes summarizes the ongoing investigation by noting that "Leiken hasn't yet moved past this bump in the campaign road" -- and that there are questions about the number of calls made in the time period in which they were allegedly made:

Trent Lutz, the Oregon Democratic Party executive director, said the response rate seemed suspiciously large since it showed that Leiken's mother made 268 calls over a nine-hour period and wound up with 200 completed surveys. Plus, Lutz noted, it seems doubtful she could make that many calls in this period of time.

"We still have to see if this is a legitimate company," said Lutz, noting that Glenda Leiken had not registered the company with the state. "Ultimately it tests the credibility of a candidate running for higher office," added Lutz, who questioned whether Leiken has really come clean on the transactions.

And nationally, Congressional Quarterly notes that the ongoing investigation - paired with Leiken's pathetic fundraising last quarter doesn't look good:

Leiken’s campaign has gotten off to a bumpy start. He formed a campaign committee in May, almost halfway through the three-month fundraising cycle, but his fundraising totals were still markedly low compared to other competitive races. He raised just $33,000, was left with $29,000 after expenditures and incurred $6,500 in debts or obligations.

In addition, Leiken is under investigation for campaign finance improprieties brought to light by a state Democratic party complaint filed against him last month. Among the issues in question is $2,000 of mayoral campaign committee funds which Leiken’s campaign has indicated was a payment to a polling firm controlled by Leiken’s mother. Democrats argue her business, P&G Marketing and Research, was not registered to do business in the state and is not legitimate.

And it's not just Democrats who are raising eyebrows at Leiken. It seems the CQ was able to find a Republican operative - albeit unnamed - to question his viability:

A Republican political consultant in Oregon said the fundraising quarter and investigation aren’t “nails in the coffin” for Leiken, but warned, “Sid’s got to pick up the pace and prove it” to remain viable.

As I've said before, stay tuned. We'll see what the next chapter brings.

By Kari Chisholm July 27, 2009