New piece at National Review: "Democrats Embarrassed by Campaign Tricks"

My discussion at National Review starts this way:

From New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Nevada, Democrats have placed fake Tea Party candidates on the ballot in order to split the Republican vote. In many of these races, the Tea Party candidate’s percentage in the polls exceeds the margin between the Republican and Democratic candidates.

Just last week, the Democratic congressional candidate in the Pennsylvania 7th, Bryan Lentz, finally admitted to the Delaware County Daily Times editorial board that without his help, independent candidate Jim Schneller would not have gotten on the ballot. In a debate this summer, Lentz denied having anything to do with Schneller’s appearing on the ballot, and in August, Schneller told PoliticsPA that the rumors that Lentz had gotten him on the ballot were simply an attempt to discredit his candidacy.

The Philadelphia Daily News called a mid-October campaign debate between Lentz and Schneller “farcical.” The charade had Bryan Lentz and the candidate that Lentz got on the ballot, Schneller, both attacking the Republican nominee, Patrick Meehan. Meehan didn’t think such a debate was fair and refused to participate; Lentz attacked Meehan as afraid to “face the voters.”

Schneller is only polling at 1 or 2 percent, but the latest poll of the race by Franklin & Marshall (10/5–10/11) gives Meehan just a three-point lead over Lentz. A slightly earlier poll by The Hill gave Meehan only a one-point lead. Lentz’s shenanigans could well determine the outcome of this race.

Part of Lentz’s defense: . . .