ALLEGATIONS DON’T SLOW POLITICIANS

The Associated Press finds that 25 state lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct are running for reelection or another office.

ATLANTA» Allegations of sexual misconduct against Kentucky lawmakers have become so common that the statehouse has seemed more like a frat house: Seven lawmakers have faced accusations, including four who settled secretly with a female legislative aide.

Voters’ response? Mostly, keep them in office.

Of the five lawmakers up for re-election this year, three easily made it through their party primaries and are favored to retain their seats in November. The other two chose not to run.

It’s not just Kentucky. An Associated Press review finds that 25 state lawmakers who have been accused of sexual misconduct are running for re-election or another office this year. Of those, 15 have already advanced to the Nov. 6 general election. Seven did not even face a challenger in the primary.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal — and the extraordinary growth of the #MeToo movement — any assumption that accused office holders would be political pariahs is not borne out on the state level. (Though by comparison, virtually every member of Congress accused of sexual harassment has resigned or opted against running for re-election.)

Kelly Dittmar, an assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University, said the relative political success of accused state lawmakers suggests that voters are unsure how to respond. Does a private failing disqualify someone from serving?

“We don’t have an answer for that,” she said.

California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia was the top vote-getter in a June primary for her Los Angeles-area district. She took a three-month leave of absence earlier this year after a former legislative staffer accused her of groping him in 2014.

Investigators initially cleared Garcia of the charge, but her accuser appealed the findings and the investigation has since been reopened.