Dem Gov. Jim Doyle has a new ad up, "Wrong Choice." The ad features a woman discussing her experience of being brutally raped at age 18, and then attacks GOP nominee Mark Green for opposing abortion rights, as the words "even rape and incest" flash across the screen. The woman concludes, "Congressman Green, after what I went through it should be my choice, not yours." Doyle currently has a small lead over Green.
If Rep. Mark Green's goal is to present himself as a clean alternative to Gov. Jim Doyle, whom he has frequently accused of impropriety, the latest news from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel might seriously complicate that strategy.In 2002, Green's office wrote a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development against a proposed rule change.A lot of other members of Congress also opposed the rule change, and it was withdrawn, but Green's case is special:its language was identical to a memo by a trade group with an interest in the matter.Would Green's speeches and decisions as governor follow the same pattern?
That recent decision by the state Elections Board against Rep. Mark Green -- where he was ordered to return $400,000 dollars from out-of-state PACs -- has just become the subject of a political ad. It declares: "Congressman Mark Green -- just found breaking the law, illegally accepting donations from the special interests he votes for in Congress."
Green's counterattack after the jump.
Mark Green (R) has decided to fight a recent state Elections Board ruling against him not only legally, but politically as well. A new fundraising letter signed in the name of his campaign manager says the following:
Are you as mad as I am at this illegal act by Jim Doyle? Want to help Mark get even?I hope you’ll help us raise $450,000 for Mark in the next 72 hours using our secure Web site.
I know that is a lot of money, but if everyone who receives this e-mail can find a way to send us $50, we will be able to counter this illegal act by Jim Doyle and his allies on the board. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated.
More after the fold.
A few days ago GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Green was ordered by a state Elections Board to get rid of over $400,000 in contributions from out of state PACs -- a blow some thought would destroy his campaign. But all the Dem elation may have been premature. Today the Wisconsin State Journal reports that Green isn't complying with the order, and the paper suggests that he may be able to appeal it with relative ease.
The state Elections Board ruled that Rep. Mark Green, the GOP candidate agaisnt Dem Gov. Jim Doyle, will have to dump $468,000 in PAC contributions that had been transferred from his federal campaign account, saying the PAC's were not registered in Wisconsin and some of the amount exceeded the state's limit on PAC contributions to a gubernatorial campaign.
Green's campaign may challenge the opinion, and his campaign manager said it would have impact on their resources. However, it's hard to see how the loss almost a half-million dollars, plus the time and publicity from the legal wrangling, won't affect a campaign two months out from the election.
Chris Cillizza’s Friday Line includes a note on Wisconsin’s race for governor. Incumbent Jim Doyle (D) was facing low approval ratings even before this week, when state official Georgia Thompson was convicted on charges that she steered a $750,000 travel contract to Doyle campaign contributors.
