HUBBARD CALLS ON GRIMES TO COMPLY WITH ELECTION LAWS
Grimes fails to report push-poll as contribution on financial report
MONTGOMERY - After a string of stories of campaign financial irregularities around the state, problems are beginning to surface locally in the financial statements of candidate for House District 73, two-term incumbent, David Grimes. The financial report Grimes filed with the Secretary of State's Office conspicuously omitted an expensive live push-poll Grimes coordinated with party officials during the week of August 9, 2010.
"He did not report the push poll he admitted to authorizing," said Democratic nominee, Joe Hubbard. "David has admitted that he authorized the questions in the push-poll and worked with party operatives to run it; under the law he has to report what his party spent on the poll. It's nowhere to be found in his financial report."
After misleading and untruthful questions in the August push poll became public, Grimes defended the poll in an interview with WSFA, saying the questions weren't "personally offensive." In a later interview with the Montgomery Advertiser, Grimes disavowed some aspects of push-poll, conceding that he coordinated with the Alabama Republican Party to run the push-poll but claiming not to not have seen all of the questions.
A push poll is one where misleading and biased questions are used to persuade voters, not solicit their opinions, and is considered electioneering. Under the Alabama Fair Campaign Practices Act, which Grimes and Hubbard both agreed to abide by in their Clean Campaign Pledge, coordinating with a candidate on efforts to persuade voters on behalf of a candidate is considered a campaign contribution, and must be reported.
This isn't the first time red flags have gone up on Grimes' campaign finances. Grimes was heavily criticized in the Republican primary for purchasing Alabama and Auburn football tickets with campaign funds, as well as paying rent for his business office and purchasing tires for his personal vehicle.
"I take the use of campaign funds seriously, and I will always follow the laws governing campaign finances. People deserve transparency and honesty when it comes to our campaigns." said Hubbard. "I was disappointed in David's role in the push poll, especially after he signed the pledge against negative campaigning, and he needs to come clean about how much money the Republican Party spent in running that push-poll."
The Alabama Fair Campaign Practices Act requires candidates to report any in-kind contributions that exceed $100. An "in-kind" contribution is an expenditure by a third party to benefit a candidate. Grimes' report disclosed over $7,000 of consulting and polling conducted on Grimes' behalf by ALFA. Grimes did not report any consulting or polling in the month of August, much less any polling funded by the Alabama Republican Party.
For more information please visit www.hubbardforhouse.com.
