Republicans want PSAs from elected officials pulled

Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn joined two Republican candidates for statewide office Friday in demanding that State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald and Secretary of State Michael Mauro immediately cease their “campaign-style” TV and radio ads being conducted out of their taxpayer-supported offices too close to the Nov. 2 election.

Strawn said public service announcements airing in Iowa that feature Fitzgerald promoting Iowa's college savings program and Mauro highlighting the availability of the AutoMARK ballot marking device for voters with disabilities are thinly veiled efforts to also promote their re-election bids as Democratic incumbents and represent “abuses of power.”

The GOP chair - along with Dave Jamison, the Republican nominee for state treasurer, and Matt Schultz, the Republican nominee for secretary of state – called upon the Democrats to pull the commercials and they urged state lawmakers to consider legislation next session that would prohibit any elected statewide officials from running a TV or radio ad featuring an incumbent's image, likeness or voice inside of 60 days from the general election unless paid for through a candidate campaign account.

“It doesn't take a political science major to figure out that these folks are doing this to get their name out there, to get their ID up when all other candidates are using campaign funds to do that,” Strawn said.

“While we're still not certain of the legality of it, it is certainly unseemly, it is certainly inappropriate and it's something that must stop,” he added. “These ads are official in name only and are clearly intended to get the candidates' names and likeness in front of Iowa voters before an election.”

Both Democratic office-holders said no state money was used to fund the PSA campaigns and defended the commercials as legitimate functions to promote state programs to Iowans in relevant contexts.

Mauro said the AutoMARK promotion, which features Republican Jones County Auditor Janine Sulzner and National Federation of the Blind of Iowa president Michael Barber, was funded via a federal grant with the goal of providing individuals with disabilities information about the accessibility of polling places during the 40 days when early-voting options are available leading up to the Nov. 2 Election Day. He said the project went through a rigorous competitive bidding process and was approved by federal overseers prior to the filming and recording of the media spots.

Fitzgerald was unavailable for comment, but deputy state treasurer Karen Austin said the PSA commercials featuring Fitzgerald promoting the Iowa college savings program was part of a coordinated effort by a national group that takes place in May and September every year. She said the ads are paid for by a trust created to administer the program. Similarly, she said, newspaper ads identifying Iowans who may have unclaimed property uncovered by the Great Treasure Hunt run in regular spring and fall cycles and are funded from unclaimed funds not taxpayer money.