Opinion: Rob Tully, John Edwards loyalist, reacts to his adultery admission
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Rob Tully qualifies as an absolute John Edwards stalwart.
A longtime Democratic activist in all-important Iowa -- he ran unsuccessfully for a House seat there in 1998 and then served a stint as state party chairman -- Tully first sized up Edwards as a prospective presidential contender in 2001.
A trial lawyer like Edwards, Tully said he told the then-little-known freshman senator from North Carolina that he could count on his help should he launch a White House race.
Tully was true to his word, serving as campaign co-chair for Edwards’ 2003-04 run -- where the candidate’s surprise second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses set the stage for his eventual selection as John Kerry‘s running mate -- and assuming the same role for Edwards’ 2007-08 bid.
Tully was totally committed, as he related in an interview with NPR almost exactly a year ago. So his reaction was worth checking following Edwards’ revelation Friday of an extramarital affair.
‘I’m disappointed. That sums it up,’ he told The Times’ Seema Mehta, who frequently covered this cycle’s Edwards campaign.
He said he believed Edwards last fall when the candidate emphatically denied the first National Enquirer reports of an affair. ‘I do my own shopping, I read that stuff going out the checkout line. Half of it’s crap.’
As he reflected on the news of the day, his thoughts turned to Edwards’ wife and children. ‘This is a family situation and obviously, regardless of the family involved, whether it’s someone you know or not, it’s a very difficult situation. It’s tough being in politics ...the whole world watches. It’s still a private matter.
‘They have all of our concerns and prayers in dealing with this. I’m hopeful that however it comes out, that everyone can move on. But it’s a tragedy in anybody’s life, in any family. ... Everybody’s human and people make mistakes. I at least am glad he admitted his mistake. Now is the time for both he and his family to deal with this in whatever matter they see fit.’
As for Edwards’ future, Tully said: ‘I think the question of whether this affects his political career -- that’s something that has to be seen. The thing he has to ride out now is a number of supporters such as me that are disappointed in him over this.’
-- Don Frederick