Oregon Democrats update their FEC complaint against Monica Wehby and Pro-Wehby Super PAC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamal Raad / jamal [at] dpo [dot] org / (503) 239-8631
Today, the Democratic Party of Oregon updated their Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against Monica Wehby’s campaign for U.S. Senate and the Super PAC funded by millionaire timber baron Andrew Miller and Nevada millionaire Loren Parks, noting that polling done for the Super PAC testing negative messages on Jason Conger was not in any of their FEC reports. The polling omission raises questions whether the Wehby campaign or some other outside group is sharing polling that is testing negative messages on their primary opponent. Either way, it is a violation of election law. The updated complaint can be found here.
“Where is the polling, Andrew Miller? You told the Oregonian you wouldn’t have spent the money to back Monica Wehby unless your negative ads tested so well,” DPO Chair Frank Dixon said. “Well, this polling you referred to is nowhere to be seen in your FEC filing. Something is just plain wrong here.”
On April 16, the Oregonian wrote, “the Stimson president said polling showed this risk was far outweighed by the effectiveness of the attacks he and Parks are making on Conger’s voting record in the state House.
“’We wouldn’t have spent any money if there weren’t relevant political issues that matter to voters,’ said Miller, citing such examples as Conger's votes to implement the Cover Oregon health insurance website and his support for the Columbia River Crossing project.”
The polling Miller refers to is not in the FEC report of the Super PAC. The above quote also suggests that Andrew Miller had an intimate involvement with the planning and strategy and reviewed critical polling information of the Super PAC. In an interview with the Associated Press over the weekend, Andrew Miller changed his story.
“’I have had no editorial input into that whatsoever. And have no input to veto anything,’ Miller said. ‘The person running that campaign (the super PAC), his condition was, 'You give me the money and you're going to have to trust everything I do, and that's it.'"
Miller also intimated to Mother Jones that he was part of the Republican brain trust that came up with the idea of Monica Wehby running for Senate. He told Mother Jones, “'Long before Monica chose to get in the race, those of us who work on these things and think about these things over beers said, 'The only Republican who wins in this state ends up looking a lot like Monica.'"
“Andrew Miller’s story on his involvement with Wehby’s campaign and his Super PAC is changing every day,” Dixon said. “One day he’s intimately involved with messaging, and other days he has no editorial control. He wants us to believe he has no role in Wehby’s campaign, but then brags to a reporter he came up with the idea of her candidacy over beers. The timber baron needs to get his story straight.”
According to the Oregonian and other news outlets, Monica Wehby and Andrew Miller are romantically involved. On April 30, Andrew Miller helped host a fundraiser for Monica Wehby. Hosting a fundraiser suggest that Andrew Miller is an agent of the campaign. The Super PAC has spent over $100k on radio ads, mailers, and billboards to prop up Monica Wehby’s campaign.
On May 5, The Democratic Party of Oregon filed a FEC complaint against Andrew Miller’s Super PAC and the Monica Wehby, accusing them of coordinating their messaging and spending.
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