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Local political insiders said Monday they doubt the scandal following the resignation of Florida Rep. Mark Foley will have much impact on races here — even with Rep. Jim Kolbe now a potential player in the investigation.

News that Kolbe confronted Foley about Internet exchanges with congressional pages in 2000 renewed discussion of how the saga may shape Election Day, with both Democrats and Republicans attempting to manage the Foley story as the last month of the campaign unfolds.

The race for the longtime congressman's seat in District 8 has been one of the most closely watched races in the country since Kolbe announced plans to step aside last November.

According to a report by the Washington Post, Kolbe confronted Foley about his Internet communications after a page showed Kolbe messages from Foley that had made the page uncomfortable.

Neither Kolbe nor his spokeswoman could be reached by the Arizona Daily Star on Monday. Contacted by The New York Times by telephone Monday while he was traveling in Europe, Kolbe declined to answer questions about the page's complaint or Foley's case.

Most Washington offices were closed for Columbus Day, so little is known at this point about what role, if any, Kolbe — the only openly gay Republican in Congress — would play in a House ethics investigation.

It's also unclear what action he took beyond confronting Foley, though his office described it as "corrective action" and said last week they referred the page to the clerk of the House, according to the Post.

State Democrats saw the Kolbe story as an opportunity to keep the saga alive.

"I think we're sort of being subjected to an endless drip of revelations and ugly revelations from Congress about who knew what was going on and when," said state Democratic Party Chairman David Waid. Waid said he thinks voters will realize "they've just got to throw the doors open and let some sunlight into the building" come November.

In the race for Kolbe's seat between Democrat Gabrielle Giffords and Republican Randy Graf, state Democrats were quick to demand that Graf, a frequent Kolbe critic, make a statement regarding the incident.

"Graf should come out and ask for a full investigation," said Alice McKeon, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Democratic Party, who contacted the Star Monday morning.

Asked if she thought Democrats would benefit from the Foley fallout, McKeon said, "I don't think we can talk about a scandal involving underage pages as benefiting anyone."

While national discussion has been focused on how the Foley incident will hurt Republicans, the situation may play differently in Southern Arizona, said Carol Zimmerman, a pollster and Democratic strategist.

Graf, who has already condemned Foley's actions, has run as the anti-Kolbe, anti-establishment candidate, with national Republicans snubbing him at times. In contrast, most Republicans elsewhere are running as incumbents, carrying with them the baggage of being tied to Washington.

What was once viewed as a liability could now work to Graf's benefit, Zimmerman said.

"If I were Graf, knowing I'm behind, I'd distance myself from the Republican fray," she said. "I might capitalize on it. Do the moral outrage — throw all those rascals out and bring morality in."

Republican pollster Margaret Kenski agreed.

Graf is "precisely the kind of Republican who shouldn't be harmed by it much," she said.

As for Kolbe now being part of the story, Kenski said, "I don't see that it has any impact at all. It seems to me Kolbe behaved properly."

Both Graf — who is trailing Giffords in polls — and his opponents in District 8 said Monday that the House investigation needs to proceed but stopped short of offering any direct judgment of Kolbe's actions.

"I trust that an investigation will be done completely and thoroughly, and if folks had knowledge of it and did not act in a responsible way that they be held accountable," Graf said.

Giffords said the issue isn't partisan. "I don't know exactly what Congressman Kolbe knew. . . . But any member of Congress, if they had information that there was another member that was sexually preying on minors, their responsibility was to not just contact leadership but to contact law enforcement."

Libertarian candidate David Nolan said it spoke to the fact that "Congress is a very close, clubby" atmosphere. Jay Quick, the independent in the race, described Kolbe as a "friend" and said he thought the congressman acted appropriately.

State-level Republicans, meanwhile, sought to separate the Foley situation from races here.

"I think it's important to remember Congressman Foley is not on the ballot in Arizona," said Garrick Taylor, spokesman for the state Republican Party. "House leaders are taking tough action by asking for an investigation."

But Kenski, who didn't see the Foley fallout as being very significant, said, "The bottom line is it sours an already sour atmosphere."

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