Scott Bassinger finds that of the more than 250 members of the House of
Representatives have been involved in various scandals since Watergate, roughly 40% did not “survive” their scandal.
“Incumbents who stood for
reelection
lost 5 percent of the general election vote share,
on average, but the electoral repercussions vary across types of
scandals
and could be magnified in the presence of a quality
challenger. A scandal-tainted incumbent defending his or her seat does
not necessarily fare better than an untainted
open-seat candidate, a finding that provides a justification for
stronger ethics
rules.”
