Outside Interests in the Vermont Election

Got this from the Vermont Dem Party tonight:

In what amounts to the hijacking of Vermont’s 2004 campaigns, two
out-of-state groups are dumping well over $350,000 into Vermont on
behalf of Republicans Jim Douglas and Brian Dubie. These shady
groups are buying television and radio ads and they are flaunting
Vermont’s campaign finance laws in the process.

The Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) is dumping over $300,000
into Vermont in the final two-and-a-half weeks of the campaign to buy
TV ads supporting Jim Douglas. This is more money than Douglas or
Peter Clavelle will spend on TV advertising for the entire
campaign! Where does the RGA come up with so much money to dump
into Vermont? Good question. Because the RGA has failed to file the
required papers with Vermont’s Secretary of State, there is no way to
know. Papers filed with the IRS give only vague information
indicating that huge pharmaceutical, tobacco and energy companies are
the primary source of the RGA funds. The RGA has already broken the
law in New Hampshire and North Carolina this year.

This type of corporate bombardment is unprecedented in Vermont. We
need your help to make sure that Vermonters and Vermont’s interests
are what drive this election, not big tobacco and pharmaceutical
companies.