DES MOINES – Republicans attacked combat veteran Jim Mowrer, the Democratic candidate for the Third District from Iowa in the United States House of Representatives, pointing to an FEC complaint that alleges he has benefitted from potentially illegal coordination between the Democratic party and his campaign.
Legally, according to Republicans, Mowrer is allowed to coordinate on $48,100 with the Democratic Congressional Committee, but has “exploited” a loophole in FEC law to coordinate on more than $700,000 in expenditures.
His actions, along with other Democratic candidates across the U.S., were the subject of a Politico article published earlier this week.
“These raise very tricky questions” about the legal justification for the cost-splitting, said Larry Noble, a former FEC general counsel now at the Campaign Legal Center told Politico. “It shows how parties are constantly looking for new ways to get around various limits, in this case the coordinated expenditure limit.”
“For four years Jim Mowrer has been trying everything he can to get to Washington, D.C., including, it seems, engaging in some ethically-dubious campaign finance practices,” Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said. “Whether or not Mr. Mowrer violated the law will be decided by the FEC, but voters of Iowa’s Third don’t need to wait that long to let him know his actions are unacceptable.”
Last week, Barack Obama issued the following statement in support of Mowrer for Congress:
“I’m proud to endorse veteran Jim Mowrer for the United States House of Representatives. Over the last eight years, we’ve made tremendous strides towards making our nation safer and stronger and expanding opportunity, but it’s clear that to continue this progress we need to send more commonsense leaders like Jim Mowrer to Congress to get things done for the middle class.
“Jim is an Iraq War veteran and a champion for Iowa families, and he isn’t afraid to take on the tough fights, like defending a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions, protecting Social Security and Medicare, making sure we keep our sacred promises to our nation’s veterans and their families, and addressing the crushing burden of student loan debt felt by so many Iowa students and families.
“Jim is the kind of tough and smart leader who will serve the people of Iowa with as much tenacity and dedication as he served our country in uniform. He’s ready to build on all we’ve accomplished and take our nation forward, and that’s why I know Iowans can count on Jim Mowrer.”
Responding to Obama’s endorsement, Mowrer released the following statement:
“I’m honored to have the endorsement of our commander-in-chief,” Mowrer said. “He’s led our country through a challenging time and has worked tirelessly to bring opportunity to working families and help them secure a place in our middle class. I thank him for his kind words and his strong support for my candidacy.”
