Wonkette Exclusive Investigation: Katherine Harris' Not-Quite-Legal Use of a County Repub HQ
An email sent out from the Katherine Harris campaign to a large number of volunteers:
Subject: Katherine Harris
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 22:11:56 -0400
From: [Redacted]@electharris.org
To: [Redacted]
We need your help for Katherine Harris!
We are asking for your help in making phone calls to fellow voters in Sarasota County.
Please help by agreeing to work in the Sarasota Republican Party office and/or finding additional people to help on Katherine's behalf.
Contact me with any questions and let me know that you will be able to assist during the designated time.
Saturday July 29th 10 - 4pm.
Sarasota County Republican Executive Committee
4345 Sawyer Road
Sarasota, FL 34233
Thank you for everything that you do for the Congresswoman!
[Redacted]
Harris for U.S. Senate
813-288-[Redacted] (office)
We have other confirmation as well that the Sarasota Republican Party headquarters has become a de facto Harris campaign headquarters -- with volunteers, phone banks, signs, and campaign materials. Which wouldn't be that big a deal, except that Katy's in a contested primary for the party's nomination. In other words, thismayviolate FEC rules (we'll be honest: we have no clue).
We called the offices of Harris competitor LeRoy Collins, and had a very pleasant chat with Chris Ingram. Ingram, you might remember, was the former target of a Wonkette fatwa , and is also the former communications director of the Harris campaign, which was probably more distressing. Ingram is now Collins' campaign manager, which is why he didn't hang up on us.
Ingram -- who hadn't heard about the Harris campaign's (probably) unethical use of the Sarasota County Party HQ -- wasn't sure either if it was in direct violation of FEC regulations, but he did call it (if true), "a violation of the spirit of the Republican party."
The Sarasota Republican Party office didn't return our call. The Harris campaign hung up on us. Like as soon as we said our name.
The news is even more bizarre coming after the public revelation of the letter promising Katherine no support from the state party, but we've ceased being surprised by anything that goes on down there.