It has not been a good week for Allen West. His Democratic challenger, Patrick Murphy, is showing a sizable lead against West in Florida’s 18^th District. According to a Democratic poll conducted by Garin-Hart-Yang Research on Sept. 26-27 found that 52 percent of  the 401 likely voters in the 18^th District of Florida surveyed prefer West’s Democratic challenger, Patrick Murphy, and just 43 percent prefer West. There is a 4.9 percent margin of error in the poll. 

“It’s clear that with his extreme, offensive rhetoric and record, Allen West is turning off voters all across the spectrum,” said Alixandria Lapp, who is the executive director of House Majority PAC, which released the poll. This particular PAC is in the process of airing its second anti-West TV ad, which is part of a $1.5 million commercial buy in the 18^th district.

There was no response to requests for comments from the Allen West campaign camp originally, but eventually West spokesman Tim Edson said the “Concocted poll” doesn’t reflect reality:

“After a week where everyone, including liberal pundits, were writing Patrick Murphy’s obituary, Murphy and his allies have to do something to make liberal contributors believe he is still viable,” Edson said in a statement to The Huffington Post. “The fact that the DCCC cancelled advertising for Patrick Murphy validates the internal poll that we released last week showing Patrick Murphy down double digits.” 

This poll is just the latest in a series following this closely watched race. There does not seem to be much stability here, either. A Republican pollster, Kimball Political Consulting, showed Murphy leading West by 49 t0 50 percent, while a poll from West’s campaign showed West leading Murphy by 9 points (as if we actually believe this data). Yet Another poll shows the two candidates to be at a statistical tie.

The Murphy/West race is one of the hottest in the nation, and both sides are fighting dirty. The West campaign released an ad reminding voters that Murphy was arrested for disorderly intoxication in 2003, with graphics showing a polished-looking West in a suit next to Murphy’s mugshot. Murphy’s campaign fired back with an ad to highlight the fact that West was “kicked out of the military” in the same year for assault.

While I am sure neither candidate is proud of his past misdeeds, there is a pretty big difference between what Murphy did –a stupid kid being, well, a stupid kid– and what West did as a military officer forced to resign when he was two ranks away from General. Yeah, big difference, and it seems that despite the attack ads, voters are noticing the difference too, along with West’s steady stream of insane rhetoric.

As if West’s floundering poll numbers weren’t enough, there is now fresh embarrassment for this nutty bagger, coming to us courtesy of  one  Jose Lambiet, a Miami gossip blogger who has published a letter in which West allegedly wants his wife to be his ‘porn star’.