Congressman Al Wynn accused his main rival in a fiercely contested Democratic primary of violating federal campaign laws Tuesday, saying ad campaigns by interest groups supportive of Donna Edwards are inappropriate because she has overseen grants given to the same organizations.
Wynn campaign manager Lori Sherwood filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that because Edwards served as executive director of the Arca Foundation, it was unethical for 38 organizations — such as the League of Conservation Voters and Friends of the Earth — that received grant money from Arca, to subsequently donate to her campaign.
” … I believe the Donna Edwards for Congress Committee has received substantial assistance by way of unreported, in-kind contributions from organizations who profess to have operated independently of the Edwards Campaign,” Sherwood’s complaint said.
Edwards, who came within 3 percentage points of unseating Wynn in the 2006 Democratic primary, dismissed the accusations as a “a desperate 11th-hour attempt by the congressman.”
During the tight 2008 race, she has scored the endorsements of some labor unions and environmental groups, many of whom have previously supported Wynn.
Wynn has been hit with an onslaught of print, radio and television ads attacking his voting record by groups such as the Service Employees International Union, which faults him for supporting legislation such as the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005.
Sherwood’s complaint said the campaign literature, which was funded under independent expenditure policies that require separation between candidates and the interest groups that fund the ads, had been produced with the help of the campaign.
Wynn and SEIU have a long history that includes tangling over Wynn’s ties to Wal-Mart. The congressman voted to give Wal-Mart advance notice before investigations of labor violations. Now, a Wal-Mart political action committee is contributing money to his campaign.
SEIU spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller told The Examiner last week that in addition to the ads, the union is coordinating door-to-door and phone bank efforts to back Edwards’ campaign. Although it is unlikely the FEC complaint would be resolved before the primary, Wynn told reporters he wanted the public to see that Edwards is “not a person who has a halo over their head.”
