“Politics isn’t always rational.” I should get that embroidered on a throw pillow.

The comment comes from this story in the Flint Journal:

FLINT, Michigan — The usually coveted gift of name recognition may not be such a political blessing in the race for the 5th district U.S. congressional seat.
As Democratic Congressman Dale E. Kildee fights allegations of sexual assault of a relative 50 years ago, analysts are already speculating on how the media firestorm will affect the race to fill the seat he’s held for 35 years and is retiring from.
For Democrats, one of the biggest questions is whether the accusations that have blasted through national news will do any damage to the campaign of the congressional candidate who shares Kildee’s name — his nephew, Dan Kildee.
“There’s already some speculation on whether it may adversely affect Dan. It’s hard for me to see how it would rationally, but politics isn’t always rational,” said political analyst Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics.
But, it’s easy to see how the two candidates could be connected by votes, Ballenger said.
“As candidates on the ballot, they’re like two letters apart in the public’s mind,” he said.

The newspaper reports that right now, Kildee is the lone declared candidate running for the seat in 2012, but other Democrats are contemplating a bid: Michigan Education Association organizer David Crim of Davison Township, state Sen. John Gleason of Flushing and former State Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City.

In the last cycle, this district was D+11; under the new lines, it is even more Democratic, so the GOP has a steep uphill climb here. But their likely candidate – former State Rep. Jim Slezak, who switched parties earlier this year, might have a slightly better shot than usual. In September, Slezak launched his campaign with a video that focuses heavily on President Obama’s 2008 campaign visit and how Flint’s unemployment has only increased since then.

“I don’t think President Obama has lived up to any of his promises from the campaign,” Slezak says.