RGA Releases New Ad Campaign Targeting Mike Cooney’s Second Ethics Violation Of The Campaign

WASHINGTON, D.C. – RGA Right Direction PAC, an organization supported by the Republican Governors Association (RGA), today released digital and radio ads in the Montana governor’s race highlighting a new ruling from the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices that Democrat Mike Cooney’s campaign violated Montana laws – for the second time this year.

In a decision issued on October 16, the Commissioner ruled that Cooney’s campaign coordinated with the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) on a website attacking Republican nominee Greg Gianforte and “failed to disclose the costs associated with the…website as an in-kind contribution,” and that “Cooney accepted an over the limit contribution from the DGA.” The Commissioner issued “a ‘sufficient evidence’ Finding and Decision justifying a civil fine or civil prosecution of the Cooney campaign” and referred the case to the County Attorney of Lewis and Clark County.

This ruling is Cooney’s second violation of the 2020 election cycle. An earlier ruling issued by the Commissioner in July found that Cooney violated Montana ethics laws by using official government facilities to participate in a political strategy session with the DGA, and issued the maximum fine to Cooney’s campaign.

The ad campaign includes a 60-second digital and radio ad laying out both Cooney’s latest violation of Montana law and his long history of ethics allegations. In 2002, an ethics complaint was filed against Cooney when he was caught storing campaign materials on his state-owned computer when he was Secretary of State. In 2006, while serving as a state senator, Cooney landed another secretive taxpayer-funded job and later carried a bill to give himself a pay raise while failing to follow ethics laws requiring he disclose his double-dipping on the taxpayer dime.

The digital ad will be sent via text message to Montana voters, and the radio version will play on stations across the state.

“Career politician Mike Cooney’s record is clear – he believes there’s one set of rules for him, and another for everyone else,” said RGA Communications Director Amelia Chassé Alcivar. “How can Montana voters trust Mike Cooney if he’s so desperate to win an election that he’ll violate Montana laws twice in one year? The answer is simple – they can’t.”

Script for “Dishonest”:
Dishonest. Greedy. Corrupt.
These are traits we have come to expect from career politicians.
They game the system to further their own careers.
Mike Cooney is one of Montana’s worst offenders.
Cooney and his liberal DC cronies were just found guilty of major ethics violations – for the second time this year.
Caught breaking the law AGAIN to try and win this election.
But these aren’t Cooney’s first ethics problems.
In 2002, an ethics complaint was filed against Cooney for having campaign files on his state computer.
In 2006, he used his connections to land a taxpayer-funded job that no one knew about.
In 2007, he carried legislation giving himself a pay raise…then failed to file ethics disclosure forms showing he was collecting two taxpayer-funded paychecks.
Mike Cooney, just another dishonest career politician looking out for himself, not us.
RGA Right Direction PAC is responsible for the content of this advertising.