Does anyone actually believe this will hurt her poll numbers?
Since this happened in California it's not really a scandal. It's just California being California.
Multiple confidential sources told our sister site RedState that freshman Congresswoman Katie Hill of California, who is also the Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, had "a long-term sexual relationship with a female campaign staffer."
Photographs and text messages obtained by RedState show that Rep. Hill was involved in a long-term sexual relationship with a female campaign staffer. The woman, whose name is not being released, was hired by Hill in late 2017 and quickly became involved in a “throuple” relationship with Hill and her estranged husband, Kenny Heslep.
Heslep and the staffer, according to text messages provided to RedState, believed the polyamorous arrangement to be a long-term, committed relationship. The trio took multiple vacations together, including to Alaska.
Redstate published several photographs showing Hill and the staffer kissing, including a photograph of a nude Rep. Hill, brushing the staffer's hair. Intimate photographs of the women were also provided to Redstate, but not published.
According to a source close to the staffer, the throuple agreed to continue their committed relationship when Hill moved to Washington, D.C. in January 2019, but that Heslep and the staffer quickly noticed a difference in Hill’s demeanor. By late May, Hill broke off her relationships with both Heslep and the staffer, claiming she wanted to focus on “this important work” and that it wasn’t fair to be involved in a relationship. The staffer, as these text messages show, was distraught and trying to figure out how to move on with her life.
Rep. Hill also reportedly had a year-long affair with her now Legislative Director, Graham Kelly. Once Hill's husband found out about this affair he filed for divorce. While this and Hill's "throuple" relationship all involve consenting adults, there are some legal and ethical issues.
A review of FEC records for Hill’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns reveals that the staffer was first paid in November 2017, with her payment classified as “salary,” making her an employee. California law doesn’t expressly prohibit consensual sexual relationships between an employer and a direct report, but it’s certainly a murky legal and ethical area. Some legal pundits contend that an employee can’t truly consent to a sexual relationship with the person who signs their paycheck.
Also of concern in the alleged throuple relationship is the age differential between Hill, Heslep, and the staffer. The staffer was 22 and a new college graduate when the relationship started; Hill and Heslep were in their 30s.
There is also a significant national security concern, since in addition to serving on the Oversight and Reform Committee, Rep. Hill also on the Armed Services Committee and has access to extremely sensitive national security information. Had these photographs gotten in the hands of the wrong people, they could have been used for blackmail.