Betty Castor is accused of unlawful fundraising ties, Mel Martinez of hinting he has the president's support.
By ANITA KUMAR and STEVE BOUSQUET
Published August 3, 2004
U.S. Senate candidates Mel Martinez and Betty Castor are getting campaign help that prompted accusations of election law violations from their opponents.
A political activist accused Castor, a Democrat, of illegally coordinating with EMILY's List, a national fundraising group. Meanwhile, Republican Doug Gallagher accused rival Mel Martinez of illegally implying President Bush's support.
Lori Glasser, 57, of Sunrise, worked with Castor opponent U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, asking that TV ads financed by EMILY's List be pulled off the air.
"I want to make sure everyone is on the same playing field," said Glasser, a longtime Deutsch supporter who donated $250 to his campaign.
Castor's campaign is in almost daily contact with EMILY's List, which has helped her raise more than $1.1-million, almost a third of Castor's total. The group supports pro-choice Democratic women.
Glasser accuses the Castor campaign of hiring former EMILY's List employees, having regular contact with the group and cutting back where the group's ads run.
The ads, focusing on Castor's views on healthcare, are expected to air in several areas, including Orlando, Gainesville, Jacksonville and the Panhandle, starting today.
Matt Burgess, Castor's campaign spokesman, downplayed the FEC complaint and blamed it on Deutsch, who criticized EMILY's List for weeks. A close Deutsch friend, Bernie Friedman, formed an independent political group to fight Castor.
"It's desperate and hypocritical to attack a group of Democratic women who support Betty when he has a front group himself," Burgess said.
An hour after Deutsch's campaign announced Glasser's FEC complaint, Friedman's American Democracy Project called Castor a hypocrite.
Castor, former state education commissioner, and Deutsch face Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas and Hollywood businessman Bernard E. Klein in the Aug. 31 Democratic primary.
In the Republican race, Gallagher's Senate campaign filed a complaint Monday with the Florida Elections Commission accusing Martinez of implying he has President Bush's support. Martinez, Bush's former housing secretary, frequently promotes his White House ties and fundraising letters ask donors to "join the Bush-Cheney-Martinez team."
"It's clearly disingenuous," Gallagher said. "The voters are entitled to know that Mel Martinez is not endorsed by the White House."
Gallagher adviser Richard Pinsky cited a state law barring candidates from saying someone supports their candidacy without written approval. The White House has said President Bush is neutral.
The elections commission's staff will determine by Friday whether the complaint warrants the full commission weighing in.
"The Martinez campaign adheres to the letter of all applicable laws," Martinez spokesman Jennifer Coxe said.
Martinez lashed out at Gallagher for hiring Mark Herron, a Tallahassee lawyer who drew national attention in the 2000 presidential recount by seeking to disqualify absentee ballots from overseas military personnel that had technical deficiencies.
The state elections commission has said before that it has no power to police federal candidates.
This is the second complaint Gallagher has filed against Martinez. Last week, he accused Martinez of violating federal campaign laws by running an ad showing Bush heaping praise on Martinez as his housing secretary.
Eight Republicans are running, including former U.S. Rep. Bil McCollum of Orlando and state House speaker Johnnie Byrd of Plant City.
- Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.
DEMOCRATS DEBATE
The three major Democratic candidates vying to replace U.S. Senator Bob Graham will meet tonight in a televised debate that can be seen in the Tampa Bay area on the NBC affiliate, WFLA-TV Ch. 8.
The candidates are Betty Castor, former state education commissioner, U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch, D-Hollywood and Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas. A fourth candidate, Hollywood businessman Bernard E. Klein, was not invited to participate.
The hourlong debate also will be broadcast live on NBC stations in Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Orlando, Jacksonville and Tallahassee beginning at 7 p.m. It will appear on tape-delay in Panama City at 10:35 p.m. CDT and in Pensacola at 11:30 p.m. CDT.
