Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio, who pleaded guilty last month in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation, resigned from Congress on Friday. ~Seattle P-I

In spite of eleventh-hour encouragement and some slightly better polling, Joy Padgett, whose campaign was also beset by her personal financial bankruptcy, is trailing Zack Space.  Now, take the following with a grain of salt, since the latest Reuters/Zogby numbers are probably about as accurate as Ken Adelman’s insights into Iraq (they have Duckworth up fourteen–I even want Duckworth to win and I don’t believe that utter nonsense):

But a poll released this week by the wire service Reuters found Space with a huge lead over Padgett, 58 percent to 33 percent. National GOP officials, who have spent more than $3 million to try to hold the seat, reportedly are eliminating or reducing television buys across the district and may shift some time to embattled GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce of Upper Arlington.

Even if Zogby is significantly screwing up the poll, it’s hard to simply create a 25 point lead out of nowhere.  Space is in, or else the Democrats win almost nothing.  Ney’s delaying of his resignation, following his guilty pleas earlier in the year, has dragged Padgett down throughout the latter half of the year.  Now that he has gone, it won’t make much difference.  The damage has been done.