Republicans say an out-of-state Democratic group is trying to suppress the GOP vote in a hotly-contested Washington state Senate race.
The state Republican Party filed a formal election complaint Tuesday against a group called American Values First.
For months, Democrats in Washington have been trying to defeat one of their own. Democratic state Sen. Tim Sheldon joined with Republicans in 2012 to help them take control of the Washington Senate.
But last week, flyers started arriving in voter mailboxes praising Sheldon — as a champion for undocumented immigrants, Obamacare and women’s reproductive rights. Sheldon believes it’s false praise with an ulterior motive in a race that features two Democrats on the ballot.
“I’m the more conservative of the Democrats, so they’re trying to get the Republicans not to vote in the race," Sheldon said.
The group behind the mailers is based in Washington, D.C and has ties to a national Democratic campaign committee. Asked if this is a vote suppression effort, a spokesman for American Values First said: “We are simply applauding Senator Sheldon for casting votes that we agree with.”
