Last week, the Turner campaign said that Tims received salaries in 2019 and 2020 from the Ohio Democratic Party.
FEC rules permit campaigns to pay the candidates salaries as a way to make it possible for people of modest means to run for Congress. The payment can’t exceed the lessor of what the candidate earned the prior year or what the job being sought pays.
Tims reported earning nothing in 2018 but later amended her filing to report $28,000 in income in 2018. The Tims campaign and state party said ODP acts as a payroll administrator and that the salary money came from the Tims campaign.
Turner’s complaint also alleges that Tims started receiving the salary four months before it was permitted.
“My opponent is being illegally paid to run for Congress. The people in the community should be concerned as to who she’ll be beholden to and that’ll be the people that are paying her,” Turner said on Tuesday. “The FEC has been absolutely clear as to what the rules are for a candidate to be paid and she’s not following them. They will enforce the law.”
Tims said in a written statement issued last week that: “While, these kind of dirty political attacks are exactly what we expect from career politicians like Mike Turner — after nearly a quarter of a century in elected office, it’s sad that he has nothing positive to offer the people of our area, only smear attacks and distortions.”
Turner’s complaint to the FEC is the latest turn in a race that is becoming more contentious. Both candidates are running TV ads.
Turner’s first ad tried to connect Tims to state Rep. Larry Householder, a Perry County Republican who is charged in federal court with racketeering. Householder said he does not know Tims and Tims said she has never met Householder.
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