Kevin Mannix

Mike Erickson’s campaign website touts his dedication to “protecting the sanctity of life and preserving traditional marriage.”

That dedication was called into question by primary rival Kevin Mannix this week, when he fielded accusations that Erickson had impregnated a young woman and then urged her to have an abortion.

Mike Erikson has not held a press conference or been very talkative with the press since his Republican rival in the 5th Congressional District hit the district’s constituency with a letter alleging some improprieties from Erickson’s past. What he has done is put some of his massive financial advantage to use and released a television spot intended to chronicle "Kevin Mannix's desperate attempt at covering up his shady dealings and repeated votes for higher taxes.”

In the wake of Kevin Mannix’s allegations about his past, Mike Erickson is jumping on his one decided advantage: his—largely self-funded—warchest.

Erickson just donated another $275,000 to his campaign, which brings his total contributions to over $1 million. He has used his campaign kitty to permeate the airwaves with ads.

Mannix had only raised $171,730 at the end of April, and consequently has enjoyed a far lesser presence on the air.

5th Congressional candidate Mike Erickson continues to remain relatively quiet in the face of opponent Kevin Mannix’s eleventh-hours allegations.

Mannix, for his part, defended his actions in an interview with The Oregonian’s editorial board last night, calling Erickson a “political sociopath.” The longtime politico also acknowledged that he had not verified the accuracy of the allegation but that the woman had no reason to lie.

The magic genie who appeared before Kevin Mannix in recent days in the form of a lascivious email has finally granted his most prized wish: all the free media he could hope for.

A nonpartisan analyst said today that Republican U.S. House candidate Kevin Mannix’s distribution of a woman’s allegations that primary rival Mike Erickson provided funds for her to get an abortion did not change the fundamental contours of the race.

“Most people in the mainstream press will treat the allegations as unsubstantiated and they won’t get that much play,” said David Wasserman, who monitors House races for the Cook Political Report.

Wasserman, who said he believed Erickson had an advantage heading into next Tuesday’s primary, also said the unsubstantiated nature of the allegations might make it difficult for Democrats to play up the affair in advertisements in the fall.

Amidst the mud-slinging hoopla that has devoured the 5th CD GOP primary, one thing is clear. Mike Erickson's $1 million dollar personal slush fund is not going to lose to Kevin Mannix's meager $190,000 campaign kitty when The Oregonian only runs an amorous story involving sex, abortion and Jimmy Mak's on page two of their Metro section.

The Portland Tribune talked to a 33-year-old woman from Clackamas County who says GOP congressional candidate Mike Erickson "got her pregnant in 2000 and then paid for her to have an abortion." The newspaper agreed to withhold the woman's name.

"We became pregnant, and not only did he pick me up and drove me to the abortion clinic, he completely encouraged me to do that," the woman told the Portland Tribune. "On the way to the clinic, "he withdrew $300 from his bank account" at an ATM to pay for the procedure, she said.

And click here to view a bonus cartoon on McCain's $33,100 "Victory Dinner".

What kind of candidate releases an alleged abortion story about his self-proclaimed pro-life opponent eight days before a GOP primary election? Certainly not one who is ahead in the game.