Going to do something controversial? Better off getting caught cheating on your spouse than abusing your official power, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday.
The survey asked voters about a theoretical 53-year-old male congressman, married with two children, whose "main concern in office is developing policies to help middle-class working families."
Quinnipiac then told some voters he was "unfaithful to his wife with another woman." Among those voters, only 36 percent have a "very favorable" or "somewhat favorable" opinion, with 58 percent "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable."
Thirty-nine percent said they would they definitely or probably would vote for him, while 49 percent said they definitely or probably would not vote for him.
Other voters were informed that "Miller created a new, well-paid position on his staff in order to hire an unqualified family member as a favor."
This time, 22 percent had a very or somewhat favorable opinion, while 75 percent viewed this as somewhat or very unfavorable. About one-fourth said they would definitely or probably vote for him--and two thirds said they wouldn't.