Have a Heart!

In what has to be one of the cheapest shots I've ever heard of in a political campaign, a Republican candidate for California State Assembly has sent a mailer out telling voters not to vote for his opponent because the man had a heart transplant 6 years ago (from Special Report):

When Republican candidate Bill Conrad says his opponent, "Doesn't have the heart," for California State Assembly, he means it literally. In fact, Conrad highlighted that phrase in bold red letters in a direct mail to California voters making political hay out of fellow Republican Tom Berryhill's heart transplant six years ago.

Conrad notes that the average lifespan of a heart transplant recipient is seven years, that transplant recipients are vulnerable to severe stress, and that transplant medications make the recipient more susceptible to illness and death, adding, "Can you imagine the costs to taxpayers for a Special Election when poor health renders him unable to fulfill the duties of office?"

I don't know what Berryhill's qualifications are for the job, but based on this mailer, Conrad doesn't deserve to win the primary.