Stapilus: Why Hart’s Tax Problems Matter

The story this last week about state Representative Phil Hart , R-Athol, being slapped with $300,000 in tax liens (from 1997-2003 and two more recent years) almost slipped by – people get into financial arrears, on a basic level there’s nothing shocking there – except for a few points that should be noted before this slips away. One is that Hart is quite influential among very conservative Republicans; in the Panhandle, he’s among the must-get endorsements if you’re running with Tea Party and other very ideological conservatives. He has become influential enough that he was a key lever behind the ouster of incumbent Republican Senator Mike Jorgenson , from his district, by Steve Vick ; the extent of Hart’s involvement has been a matter of some dispute , but he apparently recruited Vick to run/ Randy Stapilus , Ridenbaugh Press. More here .

Question: Does Rep. Phil Hart’s tax problems matter to his followers?