Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy says he supports state Democrats sending out a mailer for his re-election paid for with funds raised to help federal candidates.
Republicans and Connecticut elections officials object to the move claiming it violates state election laws.
The Connecticut Democratic Party said in a statement on Wednesday that they’ve received conflicting guidance on the matter from state and federal regulators. They said that’s why they’ve decided to proceed with the mailing based on the party’s “good-faith interpretation of federal law.”
The Democrats say the mailer complies with federally regulated get out the vote activity. In the meantime, they’ve sought a formal opinion from the Federal Election Commission. Malloy says that’s the right thing to do.
“I congratulate the party on being proactive. And I think that’s what’s being missed here. People are being proactive. No one wants to violate the law,” he said.
The commission has until Dec. 1 to issue its opinion, an FEC spokeswoman said. That’s well after the Nov. 4 general election.
There’s a reason why the Democrats are going ahead with the mailer, according to Quinnipiac University political scientists Scott McLean.
“I think they’d rather risk to be found to have done something in violation later than them to find out later that they could have done it and they didn’t,” he said.
Republicans and election reform advocates object to the Democrats using federal funds for a state race. They say it circumvents Connecticut's stricter campaign finance law that was passed following a corruption scandal 10 years ago.
