Tierney, Tisei spar over use of PAC funding

After U.S. Rep. John Tierney’s office issued a challenge Monday for Republican Congressional candidate Richard Tisei to sign a “People’s Pledge” against campaign ads funded by outside interest groups, Tisei balked, calling Tierney a “PAC addict” whose campaign depends on outside funding.”He’s being hypocritical and he’s not being honest,” Tisei said by phone Monday night. “If he’s really serious in limiting the role of outside interest in campaigns he should start with his own campaign,”The so-called “People’s Pledge,” released to the public Monday afternoon by Tierney’s spokesperson Matt Robison, is “the exact same” as one agreed upon by U.S. Senator Scott Brown, a Republican, and his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Warren, in January that requires the candidates to make payments to charity if political action committees and other outside groups advertise on their behalf.On March 27, Tisei issued his own challenge to end all PAC contributions in the election, which included four options for Tierney to choose from. Tisei said he never heard back from Tierney’s campaign on the challenge, until now. He said it would be willing to discuss a less broad-sighted agreement than the pledge between Warren and Brown.”If John Tierney is now seriously interested in discussing the issue of outside spending – including by unions – in campaigns, I’m happy to have my campaign enter into discussions with him,” Tisei said. “But it’s gotta include what he’s doing.”Robison said the Tierney campaign came up with the idea after first being skeptical of the Warren/Brown agreement, and then seeing it have an impact.”We saw it playing out and you’ve already seen that this has been enforced voluntarily, the agreement is holding. Once we saw that, it occurred to us that we agreed,” Robison said.Tisei accused the Tierney campaign in a press release of using the”People’s Pledge” as an attempt to turn itself around after being “outraised two quarters in a row” by Tisei.”He’s falling behind, he isn’t generating any support, and this is viewed as a desperate attempt to change subject and divert attention,” Tisei said.Robison said Tisei did raise more money than Tierney in the last two quarters, but emphasized that the pledge “had nothing to do with that.””Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren, editorial boards and citizens around the country have recognized that outside organizations and super PACs are the threat to clean, fair elections and congressman Tierney agrees with them,” Robison said. “If (Tisei) wants to sit down and would consider the Warren-Brown agreement, that’s a positive thing.”Tierney wrote in his letter to Tisei that he has “long been a forceful advocate for efforts to reform campaign financing” and had “authored legislation which would help to get special interest money out of politics.”But Tisei called Tierney’s use of Washington-based PACs to fund his campaign “problematic,” and said 5 percent of his own campaign funding has stemmed from PACs, compared to 45 percent in Tierney’s.”I’m fortunate that 95 percent of the money has come from individuals and the vast majority of those individuals live in the congressional district. Ultimately, it will be (those people) that decide the election.”Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].