Tea Party Leader Mark Mayfield Suicide: A Sign of Politics ‘Beyond the Pale’?
For many Mississippians, the death came as a tragic coda to a bitter primary fight that pitted mainstream Republicans against the party’s highly mobilized tea party flank. It also underscored the high personal stakes of dirty campaigning, as some of Mayfield’s friends alleged he was the victim of over-the-top character assassination by fellow Republicans.
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Mr. Mayfield was charged on May 22 with conspiring with three other men to take a photo of Sen. Thad Cochran’s wife, Rose, who is in a nursing home. The photo was used briefly as part of an anti-Cochran ad. Mayfield didn’t take the photo, but allegedly used knowledge of the facility to help a blogger gain access.
Police charged all four with conspiracy to photograph someone without their permission on private property, a felony. In his 50s, Mayfield had by all accounts had a distinguished career as a lawyer and a political gadfly whose name became synonymous with efforts to get tea party candidates elected. A felony conviction would likely have been disastrous for his career and reputation.
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