Web sites poke fun at runners in Fifth

Some slough it off; one says opponent is behind sniping

By Theo Helm
JOURNAL REPORTER

A cyberwar is being waged for the Republican nomination for the 5th Congressional District outside the range of radio and TV ads that most voters hear and see.

Two months after an e-mail message went out from someone calling himself "Pastor Randy," asking people to pray for candidate Nathan Tabor, another e-mail this week directed people to a Web site making fun of Tabor.

Other candidates - Ed Broyhill, Jay Helvey and state Sen. Virginia Foxx - have been the subjects of similar e-mail messages and Web sites.

But as these fraudulent e-mails and anonymous Web sites circulate before the filing period begins on April 26, does anyone care?

"It just seems like inside chatter at this point," said Tim Vercellotti, an assistant professor of political science at Elon University. "I think this is much more entertainment, a parlor game on the Web for political junkies, than it is something that will influence voters all that much."

But the sites offer plenty of material for political junkies.

The Tabor site was started last week by Chuck Muth, a political consultant in Maryland who e-mails a daily newsletter to 25,000 people.

Muth said he created the site after Tabor reacted when the newsletter mentioned a press release by Foxx accusing Tabor of running a misleading campaign.

Tabor and Muth then sent each other a series of e-mails mocking each other and calling each other names.

Tabor wrote, "Did you get your political degree from K-mart?" and "One last thing - did the kids in school take your milk from you a lot?"

"It became painfully obvious this kid should never be near the halls of Congress," Muth said.

Tabor said he was pushing Muth to see why he was interested in the 5th District.

"We gained tremendously from this," Tabor said. "We tied this back to Kay and Jack Daly."

Muth says on the site that he is a friend of Kay Daly, a consultant to Vernon Robinson's campaign. Robinson is a member of the Winston-Salem City Council.

Muth says he is not involved in any of the candidates' campaigns.

Tabor blames Kay Daly for the e-mail from Pastor Randy. The e-mail exhorted Tabor's followers to pray for him as he went to court on charges of speeding and driving without a license.

Tabor's campaign said it traced the e-mail to Kay Daly's computer.

Robinson and Daly have denied that they wrote or sent the e-mail, and that Tabor has not proved his claim.

Other e-mails claiming to be sent from Broyhill and Helvey directed people to anonymous Web sites detailing the bankruptcy of their past businesses.

Broyhill ran Edgar B, a furniture company that filed for bankruptcy in 1995. Helvey was the chairman and chief executive of Cygnifi, a risk-management technology company that was spun off from J.P. Morgan. It filed for bankruptcy in 2001.

Neither Broyhill nor Helvey said he was hurt by the e-mails or Web sites.

"Most of the folks reacted so harshly to my opponents it worked out to my advantage," Broyhill said. "I'm sure they'll do more of this in the future."

Considering that the primary election is months away - July 20 - Vercellotti said he wonders whether the competing e-mails and Web sites will contribute to voter fatigue.

He said he didn't think the sites would affect voters given that many scandals don't hurt politicians.

"Look at Clinton," Vercellotti said. "His job-approval rating - it was untouched by the Lewinsky scandal."

He said that it is not unusual for an open U.S. House seat to draw such fierce competition.

"An open House seat is an extraordinary motivator," he said. "Once you get in, you have pretty good job security."

Vercellotti said that the attacks would have a bigger effect if they make it to television.

With the Republican candidates having already raised more than $4 million combined, there seems to be plenty of money available to buy advertising time.

"I suppose we should just fasten our seat belts," Vercellotti said. "If this tone extends to TV, then it's a different ball game."

ï Theo Helm can be reached at 727-7481 or at thelm@wsjournal.com

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