Angus King, the liberal former governor of Maine and candidate to replace Senator Olympia Snowe, challenged his opponents today to denounce third-party spending in the race for Senate.
“This money is destroying our politics,” King said of political action committee (PAC) spending that can influence a race without having to disclose where their donations come from. King himself is already being supported in the race by a Super-PAC from away that has to-date spent $23,668 supporting King according to data on OpenSecrets.org.
Icpurple, a Super-PAC formed in California, largely by $300,000 in seed money from the co-founder of Gateway Computers, is supporting Angus’s “independent” run for Senate with commercials and advertisements in Maine. IcPurple, whose treasurer is listed as Tom Grueskin, is located in La Jolla, California.
Before a name change, IcPurple was known as “Independent Leaders, Inc.” and according to the Federal Elections Commission website, along with the $23k they gave Angus, they also dropped $52,000 into two separate congressional races in California.
A Google ad by IcPurple in support of King was seen more than a week ago, and it sent interested parties to a website called Icpurple.org, that promotes what it calls “Independent solutions for a brighter future.”
The website says IcPurple is, “an ever-growing movement of American voters who want to get America working again…By electing decidedly Independent leaders.”
The website features a 30-second TV ad promoting Angus King, because he’s, “not a democrat, not a republican, he’s an American.” The video then invites users to “Learn more about Angus.” (Watch the video below)
The website also offers a biography of King, his “record of independence” and links to King’s campaign websites.
IcPurple also touts what it calls, “The Declaration of Independents” – which is a mock version of the Declaration of Independence that includes the look of an old style document. The “declaration” includes the line, “I believe we urgently need leaders that can rise above the partisan gridlock,” a sentiment King has repeated often so far in his campaign.
The website is clear that it is “not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee” – the exact type of “unregulated third-party campaign spending” King called on his opponents to denounce.
“I think the people of Maine deserve to know where the money is coming from that is attempting to influence their vote in this election,” King said at his press conference. “These so called Super-PAC’s…we need to keep this plague out of Maine.”
It may be too late for King and Maine to avoid the “plague,” since it has already reached him, supporting him with more than $23,000 in advertisements. It will be interesting to see if the “plague” spreads going forward, and if he gets additional support from Super-PAC’s from away.
Like he said, “Maine voters deserve to know.”
Yeah and I suppose that King will refuse the big dollars that Howard Sussman will send his way, along with exclusive use of his liberally biased media empire. Angus King is a liar and a hypocrite. We don’t need him in Washington.
Angus King is from Virginia, need to know more.
What, a another liberal saying do as I say not as I do? I am shocked, don’t worry Angus the Sussman-Pingree press will give you all the fawning press you could ask for and all for free. You just have to bring the turkey next Thanksgiving.
Hey, The guy is a crook and a liar. People like that in a candidate.
Just makes you wonder what King has to hide. Gingrich try to pull the same deal by demanding by all candidates agree to his mandate for only positive campaigning. When they didn’t follow instructions Gingrich went full blast into negative campaigning but as it turns out there was much more material to use against Gingrich. Could it be that Angus has the Gingrich syndrome?
I stand 100% by what I said on WLOB last Wednesday, Angus King is a POLITICAL COWARD- He doesn’t have the courage of his convictions to stand up and say “yes I am a liberal Progressive and will be caucusing with the Democrats if elected to the US Senate.” Instead he hides behind an aw shucks, I’m a common guy, I’m independent like Maine mask when in fact, he’s a self enriching, use his political connections for great personal gain, lying to the people of Maine about who he is and about his record, Political Grifter like his buddy Chellie Pingree. I meant every word of it and can document it and this whole PAC thing shows what a 2 faced hypocrite he really is.
Who is Howard Sussman?
I think the people of Maine deserve to know where Angus King’s considerable fortune comes from. It appears to have some relations to the phenomenon known as “crony capitalism.”
Laughable ….. and yet the hypocrisy is given a pass by the Portland Pravada, et al. No wonder the Democrats have failed to field a significant candidate. Why bother when you can have an “Independent” do all of the heavy lifting for you? King is, at the least, politically dishonest.