Just to show you that crooked politicians come in all shapes, colors, creeds, and political parties, we have this little gem of a story today. Now yes, before people jump down my throat, I'll say right now that I'm not ruling out that this whole "deadbeat dad" and "wicked stepmother" thing could be made-up bullshit from a bitter ex, but then again, it could all be true. Just saying.
Civil rights lawyer Ellen Simon appeared to be comfortably cruising to victory in next month's Democratic primary in Arizona, earning herself a longshot bid for the U.S. Congress.
Then came a determined voice from the north.
Suddenly, an obscure party primary with no national profile has become one of the hottest, dirtiest and most litigious political races in the United States.
For that, one can thank Pamela Tanner of Ottawa.
She injected herself in the race by posting comments on political blogs in Arizona about her longstanding child-support battle with Blaine Tanner, Simon's husband and the man once immortalized on the front page of the Star as one of Canada's most notorious deadbeat dads.
Tanner told Arizona voters that among other things Simon refuses to have anything to do with her stepdaughter.
Simon and her husband responded last week by filing a libel suit in Ottawa, seeking damages and a restraining order to keep Pamela Tanner out of Arizona politics. The statement of claim contains allegations not yet proven in court.
According to The Hill, a Washington newspaper heavily circulated on Capitol Hill, the suit alleges Pamela Tanner attempted to extort $10 million by threatening to blow the whistle on her ex-husband. The paper also quoted Simon as calling Pamela Tanner "crazy," a characterization her campaign held to in an interview with the Star.
Pamela Tanner says she didn't even learn of Simon's potential candidacy until May.
"I'm just a mother, a woman who had to raise four children — three of them his — for 16 years," she said.
Even though the Simon campaign took the extraordinary step of filing a libel suit during a political race, her campaign manager said it is not an issue.
"It's a private matter between Blaine Tanner and his ex-wife," said Brandon Hall.
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