A significant source for enabling corrupt behavior is the fact that the party (usually) controls the seat, and highly noncompetitive races where incumbents are

A significant source for enabling corrupt behavior is the fact that the party (usually) controls the seat, and highly noncompetitive races where incumbents are almost guaranteed their seat. If a statesperson doesn’t “own” their seat, and they don’t have a party to cover them, they have to worry about the next person asking questions.