SEATTLE (AP) — Some Democrats in Olympia are out to deny a seat to a freshman senator in their own party, over concerns about a dirty campaign tactic used in the August primary.
Nick Harper bested incumbent Everett Democratic Sen. Jean Berkey in the primary by 122 votes and then went on to win the general election.
The state attorney general has alleged that liberal consulting group Moxie Media violated campaign finance rules by using money from unions and trial lawyers to create shell groups with misleading names such as “Conservative PAC” to attack Berkey.
Harper has not been accused of wrongdoing. He said he “absolutely disavows” the tricks used by Moxie Media and feels his integrity is being unfairly attacked.
