It’s actually difficult to keep up with the mudslinging in the House District 46 race, but the Texas Ethics Commission has thrown out one attack on challenger Brian Thompson because “on its face [the complaint] shows no violation.”
On Feb. 22, Nelson Linder (who is also president of the Austin NAACP) made a complaint with the TEC against the Thompson campaign over one of their ads, called “Dawnna Dukes – Absent and Unethical?” His complaint (as reported by KVUE) said the ad violated state campaign law by not disclosing who paid for it. The TEC threw out the complaint: not surprising, since the ad clearly say “Pol. Ad. paid for by the Brian Thompson Campaign” for about six seconds at the end of a 31-second spot.
In a press release, Thompson thanked the TEC, and especially Austin-based commissioner Wilhelmina Delco (Dukes’ predecessor in the Dist. 46 seat), for dismissing this “frivolous and politically motivated complaint in a prompt and professional manner.” He then went on to lay into Dukes for the outstanding ethics complaint against her over mis-reported campaign funds.
See below the fold for the ad that didn’t break the rules.
This article appears in February 29 • 2008.
