Looking at the races where there were scandal-plagued incumbents. All of them won. It doesn't seem that scandals affect state legislative candidates anymore: they can pretty much get away with anything they want in an era of hyper-polarization, even down-ballot.

Every scandal-plagued incumbent we mentioned here won. https://cnalysis.com/articles/our-final-forecast-state-legislatures It doesn't matter anymore. None of it matters. We won't be taking into account any scandals on behalf of state legislative candidates/incumbents in 2022, it hurt us in our accuracy this year.

The guy who ran over a kid's dog? Won. The woman who called a constituent a "forecloser loser?" Won. Aaron Coleman? Won. Mike Maroney, who solicited prostitutes twice within a year? Won. Nothing matters anymore down-ballot. Scandals be damned -- partisanship triumphs all.

The guy who wore a KKK outfit in high school? He won (this was expected though). Tony Wayne Street, who had stalking charges? He barely lost in the NC Auditor race. NONE of it matters anymore. Not at all. It's not something you should factor in anymore.

The Democrat in the OR House who faced sexual harassment accusations? Won. The Republican who faced accusations of moldesting children, in a district in the Kansas City suburbs? He won.

I could go on. Nothing, and I mean, nothing matters down-ballot anymore. Irrelevant.

Oh yeah, Aaron Bernstine, who recorded himself on Snapchat teaching a kid the "FMK" game and recorded himself teaching his 5-year-old how to smoke from a cigar won as well.

https://twitter.com/syryquil/status/1324522922611007488

Nothing matters anymore. Don't put it in your models or qualitative ratings.

Amy Grant, who made relatively homophobic/racist comments about her opponent in a Hillary Clinton-won district in the Chicago suburbs?

She won.

The state legislative elections results are...astounding. https://wgntv.com/political-report/illinois-republican-apologizes-after-democrats-call-statements-caught-on-tape-racist-homophobic/

Almost all of the above districts listed are relatively competitive districts by the way. The three exceptions are two D's and 1 R: Diego Hernandez (D) [sexual harassment], Aaron Bernstine (R) [giving his son a cigar, teaching a kid FMK], Aaron Coleman (D) [just google him]