GOP files campaign finance complaint against Horner

The Republican Party of Minnesota filed a complaint with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board Tuesday alleging that a poll by Decision Resources Ltd., amounted to a campaign contribution to Independence Party candidate Tom Horner. The GOP says Horner had access to poll information before other candidates and the media, a charge that the Horner campaign denies. The poll showed more favorable numbers for Horner than in previous surveys, though the poll indicates Horner remains a distant third behind GOP and DFL candidates.

“By citing polling results from Decision Resources which are not publicly available, it is obvious that Tom Horner and Bill Morris colluded and shared information. We believe that the poll referenced by Horner is an illegal corporate contribution to the Horner campaign on behalf of Decision Resources, which is prohibited under 211B.15, Subdivision 2.,” said GOP chair and deputy chair Tony Sutton and Michael Brodkorb.

The GOP uses a speculative tweet by Horner on June 7 as proof that the campaign knew the poll results before they were released.

“Must be bad Emmer poll coming,” Horner wrote. “GOP stepping up attacks. Must be spinning their candidate’s collapse. Can we get a preview? How bad is it?”

Horner’s campaign says the poll was released to media on June 6 before it was released to the campaign on June 7.

Here’s Horner’s statement on the poll and the complaint (via MPR):

The Minnesota Republican Party is in full desperation mode. Their candidate is sinking, and instead of acknowledging their blunder in selecting an extremist candidate, they choose to go on the attack.

Minnesotans want more from their candidates this year. They want candidates who are addressing the issues of jobs, education and Minnesota’s budget deficit. The survey is available to the Minnesota Republican Party. Perhaps they should use it to understand their candidate’s shortcomings in the eyes of Minnesotans.

The Horner campaign learned last week of the survey being conducted by Decision Resources Ltd. Decision Resources was contacted by Stephen Imholte, campaign manager, who asked when the data might be available.

Imholte was informed that it was being released exclusively to the Pioneer Press on Sunday, June 6. Dr. Bill Morris provided the Horner campaign with data only after the survey information had been released to the newspaper. Before releasing information to the Horner campaign, Dr. Morris confirmed that the same data were being released to the Pioneer Press, and other campaigns and candidates at their request.

After the Pioneer Press news article was posted on the newspaper’s web site, the Horner campaign released its own commentary on the findings through Twitter, Facebook and to other news media. It developed its analysis from the data provided by Decision Resources after release to the news media.

Decision Resources routinely conducts in-house surveys and occasionally releases findings to the news media. This survey covered a range of topics on Minnesota issues and the Minnesota gubernatorial race. The survey was not specific to any candidate but was a general overview of Minnesota issues. While the principals of Decision Resources are supporters of Tom Horner, the Horner campaign was not involved in any way in the design of the survey and had no knowledge of the findings until after its release to the news media.

If the Republican Party sincerely believed there was a violation, it would have asked for this background instead of wasting the time of the Minnesota Campaign and Finance Disclosure Board. Instead, the party of no ideas now also seems to have no campaign strategy or message for Minnesotans.