The defeat last weekend of New Or-leans's entrenched, compromised congressman, William Jefferson, may appear to be a rare vote against corruption. Certainly the $90,000 in marked bills that the FBI found in Mr Jefferson's freezer in 2005 was a factor in his demise. But it was not the main one.rnIn fact, since the discovery of the cold cash became public, Mr Jefferson has won handily in four straight elections, including Democratic party primaries and run-offs. Two of those victories came after he was indicted on 16 bribery-related charges. (Prosecutors say he took money in exchange for help in arranging business deals in Africa.) His winning streak did not end until December 6th, when the nine-term congressman failed to rally his base to the polls.
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