Here's how to ruin your chances at winning a U.S. congressional seat:
Get arrested for driving under the influence and unlawfully possessing a firearm, with a female college student who is not your wife in the car.
Democratic South Carolina state Rep. Ted Vick, who describes himself as "businessman, a farmer, a pastor, a sportsman, a soldier and a state representative," was pulled over early Thursday morning after an evening of drinking in downtown Columbia, S.C., according to a police report.
| Whoa! They named the party! Oh, right, it's South Carolina... |
After Vick refused to take a sobriety test or a field test, he was taken to a local detention center, where officers found that the state congressman was carrying a Kel-Tec .380-caliber pistol in his front pocket. He had not told officers about the weapon, and his concealed weapons permit had expired in 2007, the police report said.
The young woman who made Vick's acquaintance was not charged in the incident, The State reported. A graduate of The Citadel, Vick is married, has two young girls and was a lieutenant colonel in the S.C. Army National Guard.
| Emphasis on 'was'... |