Burton using out of state money?
By HFP Reporter on Monday, April 26th, 2010 |
Press release from Luke Messer - (Shelbyville, IN)—Congressman Dan Burton added to his collection of out-of-state support over the weekend, receiving the benefit of a large television media buy by the American Future Fund. The ad touts Burton's image as an "egg cracking" conservative, standing up to liberals in Washington. The American Future Fund is an Iowa based corporation spending over $100,000 in an effort to save Burton's election. “Hoosiers are already wondering why nearly 90% of Congressman Burton’s financial support comes from out-of-state – and now they want to know why an out-of-state corporation is spending over $100,000 in an attempt to buy the election and save his failing campaign. Why would this out-of-state group spend all this money to support the only Congressman who voted against the ethics bill that would help clean up Congress?” asked Luke Messer. “Typically, a 28-year incumbent Congressman gets the majority of their support from folks in the district, not Iowa-based special interest groups, Ohio paid actors, or D.C. lobbyists.”
Because the American Future Fund is a corporation and not a candidate committee or political action committee (PAC), its independent expenditure is not subject to FEC disclosure rules. This loop hole in the law allows the American Future Fund to spend over $100,000 in corporate dollars on Congressman Burton's behalf without disclosing the source of its funding.
This out-of-state corporate expenditure is just the latest example of a lack of local support for Congressman Burton. Last week, Messer held a press conference revealing that a recent campaign commercial for Congressman Dan Burton used paid actors from Ohio to give testimonials in support of the Congressman’s leadership. “Unfortunately for the Congressman, he is not running in Ohio, Iowa or Washington D.C. - he is running in Indiana. And, voters in the 5 th District deserve a Congressman that will represent them—not special interests and corporations from out-of-state.”
Previously Messer has highlighted the fact that a mere 12% of Burton's campaign contributions this election cycle come from sources within Indiana. Messer added, "With recent polls showing Burton's Republican support under 30%, it is not surprising that most of his money is coming from out-of-state. All of this out-of-state money won't save Congressman Burton. 5th District voters are ready for a new Congressman, and on May 4th, they will vote to get one."
Messer has the endorsement of over 700 Hoosiers including elected officials, Republican Party leaders, activists, and grassroots volunteers - as well as over 6,000 friends and supporters on Facebook. The campaign has over 900 contributors, including contributions from every county in the district, and recent finance reports demonstrate that 91% of Messer's financial contributions come from Indiana.
About Luke Messer:
In the 5th District Congressional Race, Luke Messer has led the pack of challengers from the start, earning the endorsements of over 700 key grassroots activists and elected officials, over 900 contributors and over 6,000 friends and supporters on Facebook. As of March 31, 2010, Messer has raised $515,864 with more than 90% of his contributions coming from in-state. Messer has out-raised all the other challenger candidates to Congressman Dan Burton in each and every quarterly finance report to the Federal Election Commission.
Luke Messer, 41, is a lawyer in Shelbyville and served in the Indiana General Assembly from 2003-2006. As a Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Messer helped Governor Daniels craft the state’s first balanced budget in eight years, a budget that, without a tax increase, turned a $600 million deficit into a $300 million surplus in a single year. As a member of the House Education Committee, Messer’s work on high school dropout prevention was featured in Time magazine and on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Messer is also a former Executive Director of the Indiana Republican Party.
Messer is cofounder of a not-for-profit organization called Child Share Indiana that advocates for Indiana foster children and their foster families. He is also an elder at his church and the author a children’s book about Indiana entitled Hoosier Heart. Luke and his wife Jennifer are raising their two daughters and a son in Shelbyville.
For more information, visit www.LukeMesser.com.
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