Florida Senate Race: Deutsch backer sues Castor over EMILY's List funding

[JohnLocke]

Deutsch supporter files complaint against EMILYs List, Castor
Wednesday, August 2, 2004
Associated Press
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A supporter of Senate candidate Peter Deutsch filed a complaint on Monday against EMILY's List and Democratic rival Betty Castor, arguing that the political organization was illegally coordinating its activities with Castor in the upcoming Senate primary.
(...)
Karen M. White, national political director for EMILY's List, called the complaint "baseless."
"There is no coordination with any campaign. It's just more of the same attacks that we've come to expect from Peter Deutsch," White said, adding that Deutsch filed a similar complaint against Senate rival Alex Penelas last year.
Castor spokesman Matt Burgess noted that an independent group, called the American Democracy Project, is being run by one of Deutsch's friends. The group has criticized Castor for her handling of the investigation of Sami Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida professor indicted on charges he financed terrorist operations.
"It's desperate and hypocritical to attack a group of Democratic women who support Betty while his own friend is running a front group to promote his campaign," Burgess said.
Deutsch spokesman Roy Teicher said the congressman has a strong record with issues pertaining to women and the campaign has "no reason to particularly fear a backlash on that."
The complaint contends that some former employees of EMILY's List are now working for the Castor campaign and cites newspaper accounts saying the organization has provided extensive help to the campaign.
It alleges that the Castor campaign has decreased the amount of its television advertising buys in markets where EMILY's List/Florida Women Vote!, a subsidiary of the group, has made purchases.
(...)
His campaign manager, Craig Kirby, sent a fund-raising e-mail earlier Monday comparing the EMILY's List advertisements to the 2000 recount.
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Read the rest here.
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:grr:

[madfloridian]

1. Deutsch better watch it. He is making a lot of folks mad.

I think he is also behind a nasty anti-Castor site I got from an unknown list one day. I don't even know how they got my email.

We donated more to Castor when Deutsch started this crap.

[JohnLocke]

2. I'm supporting Penelas.

Deutsch is simply a jerk, and Castor cannot win the election.

[TSIAS]

3. I think Castor has this won

If only there was one South Florida based contender, it would probably be a competitive race. I think Deutch and Penelas split the South Florida vote and Castor is very strong in Central and North Florida.

[madfloridian]

4. Last poll I saw Castor was leading by double digits?

Why do you say she can not win?

[TSIAS]

5. I assume he means the general

The last poll I saw had Castor very competitive with the GOP favorites. She's lead McCollum 44-39 and is in a dead heat (39/39) with Martinez.

Martinez certainly will be a tough opponent. Deutch and Penelas are relative unknowns outside of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Castor is the only one to have been elected to statewide office.

[JohnLocke]

6. I mean the general election (nt).

[JohnLocke]

7. Kick

[JohnLocke]

8. Kick