The Democratic-backed candidate for Public Service Commission says he will be calling for an investigation into recent attack ads brought by the Republican-led group “Brighter Future Committee.” Brad Crabtree says the group violated state election laws by launching a radio ad campaign targeting him…
“…the North Dakota corporation, Brighter Future Committee, filed a fraudulent Political Action Committee registration form with the North Dakota Secretary of State on October 3rd, 2012 in which it represented that the Brighter Future Committee was a PAC – or Political Action Committee – which is provided for under the North Dakota statute, except that it’s not a PAC.”
Crabtree says not only is the Brighter Future Committee portraying itself as a PAC -- an attorney claiming to represent the group is not licensed to practice law in North Dakota. Crabtree calls the ordeal “an exercise in sleaze” and he intends on contacting a state’s attorney to conduct a formal investigation. Crabtree says the ads and a recent letter from the North Dakota Republican Party to the federal election commission makes him wonder who is he running against, Hazen state Senator Randy Christmann or the state Republican Party…
“…I think he is apparently relying on the “R” behind his name, but I think if you look at the actions of the North Dakota GOP and of this Brighter Future Committee, they wouldn’t go to this effort if they didn’t see numbers that suggest I’m winning. So I think he’s resting behind the fact that because he thinks he’s Republican he doesn’t have to go out and make his case to the people in North Dakota, doesn’t have to go to candidate forums, doesn’t have to offer specific ideas about what he’d do for the future of the Public Service Commission and for North Dakota.”
Crabtree says North Dakota is at a critical point and needs regulators that make decisions on behalf of all North Dakotans, not the companies that come before them.
