Will Aftab Pureval's 'amateur error' hurt him in high-stakes congressional race?

Aftab Pureval appears to have made the first glaring campaign mistake in his brief political career.

Question now, will the Democrat's murky campaign finance report hurt his chances of unseating long-time Congressman Steve Chabot in November? Or is Pureval's questionable use of money from a non-congressional campaign account merely a minor distraction in this high-stakes race?

“This is an amateur, unforced error," said David Niven, University of Cincinnati political science professor. "I don’t know if it’s going to be an issue, but you never want to give the other side a freebie.”

Pureval's campaign finance issues surface at a time when it appears he's gaining momentum. National elections prognosticator Sabato's Crystal Ball last week changed its rating of Ohio's 1st Congressional District race from "leans Republican" to "toss up."

Read more: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/columnists/politics-extra/2018/08/03/2018-election-could-purevals-campaign-finances-problem-race/890085002/