The Indepundit is reporting that Sen. Robert Torricelli may drop out of the NJ Senate race due to his previous ethics violations.
In general, this would probably be a wise move for Torricelli in the end. He was essentially found to have taken bribes, and narrowly escaped action by the Senate. Politically, he’s damaged goods, and the chances of him winning are slim because of it. He may have the support of DNC partisans, but that just isn’t enough to win the race, even in New Jersey.
The worst thing an elected official can do is violate the trust of the people, which is exactly what Torricelli did by accepting gifts in violation of Senate ethics rules. Even though the Democrats will likely cry fowl, Torricelli should step down from the race. He may have done good things for the people of New Jersey, but that does not excuse misusing the honor of the office that he was sworn to protect and uphold.
UPDATE: Now it’s official – Torricelli is dropping out of the race.
