Freeze on fundraising coming
Lawmakers are getting ready for the big freeze.
And I’m not talking about a drop in the temperature.
State officials have until 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 to raise money for their campaigns. The fundraising freeze takes effect on Saturday and runs until the Legislature adjourns. During that time, elected officials cannot solicit or accept contributions.
You may have noticed a surge in pleading politicians over the airwaves or an increase of flyers in the mailbox.
Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, has kicked off his own countdown listing the number of reasons people should give.
Reason No. 10, according to his Facebook page, is he voted against the transportation package.
Benton is up for re-election next year and he’s going to need the money if he wants to keep his Senate seat.
Last time Republican Chair Susan Hutchison was in town, she told The Columbian’s editorial board she had seen some polling done on the senator.
The numbers didn’t look very good for Benton, Hutchison said.
It could be a tight race, but Republicans also want to keep control of their narrow majority in the Senate, which could be in Benton’s favor.
Lauren Dake
Lauren Dake covers politics for The Columbian. You can reach her at 360-735-4534 or lauren.dake@columbian.com. Follow her on Twitter .