The Rhode Island Republican Party filed a complaint with the state’s Board of Elections this week, alleging that Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Raimondo violated campaign finance law by coordinating with Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., to star in a pricey election ad.
The TV spot in question, a commercial titled “Working Together” that the state Democratic party is spending $90,000 to run, touts Raimondo’s jobs plan and ends with Sen. Reed “approving” of its message.
The problem with the ad, according to Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Mark Smiley, is that it clearly violates the the state’s $25,000 limit on coordinated ads for candidates for state office.
The Rhode Island Democratic State Committee, for its part, claims that the ad is to benefit Reed, and is therefore eligible for higher federal caps. But it seems pretty clear that the ad is meant to urge Rhode Islanders to vote for Raimondo, and does little else.
In fact, the Rhode Island senator even said in a recent WPRI.com interview: “This ad shows why I support Gina Raimondo for governor.”
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s opponent, Republican gubernatorial nominee Allan Fung, is using the “Working Together” ad to question whether Raimondo is fit to govern the Ocean State.
“Allen Fung has conducted himself with the utmost integrity and respect for the people of Rhode Island,” Fung campaign spokesman Robert Coupe said in a statement announcing the complaint. “Allan Fung will uphold the highest standards of integrity as governor. The citizens of Rhode Island deserve better than this attempt to circumvent campaign finance laws.”
Here is a copy of the complaint.
Raimondo currently leads Fung narrowly in the polls. A Rasmussen survey released last week showed her ahead, 42 percent to 37 percent.
However, as noted elsewhere by the Washington Examiner, Raimondo’s campaign doesn’t have strong backing from the state’s public-sector labor unions due to her support for pension reform during her tenure as the state’s treasurer.
Should Raimondo win against Fung in November, it will be the first time since Bruce Sundlun won re-election in 1992 that Rhode Islanders elect a Democratic governor.
