1. His website was "down for maintenance" while announcing his campaign for senate:
While announcing his campaign for Senate, TribLive News reports
His campaign website — JoeSestak.com — was undergoing scheduled maintenance at the time, locking out potential supporters.
Anyone who tried to log in got a maintenance message and was directed to make donations to ActBlue, a Democratic Party fundraising website that allows donors to choose candidates.
The livestream to watch Sestak’s campaign kickoff from Philadelphia’s Independence Hall was not functioning.
2. He Keeps Misquoting "To Kill a Mockingbird":
[youtube url = "https://www.youtube.com/embed/XkHfk2z5iZc"]
Coupled with Joe Sestak’s embarrassing botched announcement was a press release from the Sestak campaign misquoting the classic novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird." According to TribLive News:
The release incorrectly assigned a quote from the iconic American novel “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
“Standing in front of Independence Hall, Joe said America is about ‘We the People’ and that — quoting Scout from ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ — ‘You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.’ Therefore, over the next few weeks, Joe will walk in the shoes of Pennsylvanians he meets along his walk,” the release stated.
The words about walking in another’s shoes, however, came from the character Atticus Finch, who gave his daughter Scout the advice that helped shape her development in Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.
3. Stealing Music for his Campaign Anthem:
Along with his theme of "walking in Pennsylvanians’ shoes," Joe Sestak selected The Proclaimers’ classic one-hit wonder, "I’m gonna Be (500 Miles)" to use for his campaign anthem.
Unfortunately for Sestak, his campaign did not secure the rights to use the Proclaimers’ hit.
Buzzfeed* notes:
“I requested permission to use the song “500 Miles” on YouTube via the record company, but also reached out to the band manager,” Sestak told BuzzFeed News in a statement. “This afternoon, the manager of the band replied and informed us that while we could continue our earlier efforts through Warner Chappel Music, that he was “sorry,”but he would eventually ‘decline any permission’ for the use in ‘political activities.’ I have since then removed the videos from our YouTube page to comply with this information.”
Kenny MacDonald, the band manager for The Proclaimers, told BuzzFeed News the song’s artists had no idea Sestak was using the song.
4. Violating the Military Code of Ethics
TribLive News reports
Sestak’s website emphasizes his military career, pointing out that he served 31 years in the Navy. But in many sections, it refers to him as “Admiral Sestak,” as do his campaign news releases.
Department of Defense ethics guidelines say retirees not on active duty can mention their military rank or service affiliation when campaigning for federal office but must clearly indicate their retired or reserve status. The rules were designed to prevent any implication of official endorsement or approval of military members’ participation in political activity.
5. His "Walking" Tour, where he drives:
Joe Sestak claimed to be on a "walking tour" across the state of Pennsylvania, but he’s actually been driving a large portion of the way.
6. Poll Ratings Plummet After Tour:
[tweet src="https://twitter.com/JoeSestak/status/582584814366248960"]
Joe Sestak just finished walking 422-miles across Pennsylvania — and slipped three points further behind Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), according to a Quinnipiac University poll out Monday.
Toomey (R., Pa.) holds a 13 point edge over Sestak, a Democrat, in a potential 2016 match up, according to the survey. It found that 48 percent of voters would back Toomey in a head-to-head match up, against 35 percent for Sestak.
7. Sestak is violating his own standard on indicted donors:
[tweet src="https://twitter.com/NRSC/status/574930571706699778"]
Congressman Joe Sestak is refusing to return a $5,000 donation from his indicted friend Senator Bob Menendez, yet Congressman Sestak’s refusal violates his own past standard on returning money from indicted donors.
“Congressman Sestak not only has a problem with telling the truth but also with admitting when he’s wrong,” said NRSC spokesman Matt Connelly. “His erratic behavior on the campaign trail has been troubling enough, but it’s simply bizarre that he’s standing by indicted Senator Menendez and refusing to live up to his own standard by returning this dirty money.”
These are just the latest stumbles from Joe Sestak campaign. Is the best yet to come? Only time will tell…