Maine Democratic Party

Chair of Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee bucks campaign finance law  on $73,000 negative TV ad   

Bangor, ME - The Maine Democratic Party is filing an ethics complaint against State Sen. Nichi Farnham for her illegal purchase of $73,000 in negative television ads against her opponent through the Maine Senate Republican Majority Political Action Committee. Farnham is a publicly financed candidate through the Maine Clean Elections Act.

Maine Clean Elections Law prohibits publicly financed candidate from making independent expenditures in their own race from a PAC they control.

Farnham is the principal officer, primary fundraiser and decision maker for the Maine Senate Republican Majority PAC, according to documents filed with the State Ethics Commission. She is also the chair of the legislative committee charged with oversight of Maine campaign finance law.

“This is an egregious violation of Maine law, and the fact that it has been committed by the chair of the committee responsible for Maine campaign finance laws makes it particularly galling," said Maine Democratic Party Chairman Ben Grant. "Nichi Farnham clearly doesn’t understand the law, or she doesn’t care. Either way, the voters in Bangor and Hermon have all the reason they need to vote her out of office this November. We will aggressively pursue this kind of corruption, and we will be filing an ethics complaint first thing in the morning.”

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