Constitutional Law

Dems accuse Fox News of bolstering Ohio candidate

By By The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Democratic Governors Association filed an elections complaint in Ohio yesterday, alleging Fox News Network illegally helped the Republican gubernatorial nominee solicit funds during a television appearance.

In an escalating battle with Fox's news division, the association alleges that Fox allowed John Kasich to request contributions from viewers during an Aug. 18 broadcast and simultaneously displayed the address of his campaign website in on-screen graphics.

The complaint alleges the free publicity during Fox's "O'Reilly Factor" amounted to an improper in-kind contribution to Kasich's campaign, which exceeded Ohio's $11,395.56 contribution limit and lacked the proper disclaimer for political advertising. The web address appeared for 90 seconds, according to the complaint.

Kasich, a former Fox commentator, later told supporters the event helped him raise $21,000, according to complaint filed with the Ohio Elections Commission. He is seeking to unseat Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in November.

DGA Executive Director Nathan Daschle said in an interview that his group acted in Ohio to keep Fox from helping other Republican gubernatorial candidates in a similar way.

"If they get away with it in Ohio, I think they will certainly try it in other states," he said. "They're going to continue to push the envelope until someone stops them."

A Fox spokeswoman said the company had not yet been served with the complaint and therefore couldn't comment for this story.

Daschle wrote a complaint letter to Fox News chief Roger Ailes on the day Kasich's interview was broadcast. He said he received no response.

Daschle noted in the letter and in the Ohio complaint that Fox's parent company, News America, recently donated $1 million to the DGA's counterpart, the Republican Governors Association — the single largest corporate donation to the group so far this cycle. News America is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate News Corp.

The complaint accuses the company of using political donations and TV broadcasts in "a multi-pronged strategy to support and elect Republican candidates."

News Corp. spokeswoman Teri Everett defended the political giving.

"News Corporation believes in the power of free markets and therefore actively supports organizations that advocate a pro-job, low tax, economic growth agenda, especially at this most critical time for our economy," she said.

Daschle said host Bill O'Reilly is the second Fox personality to politically support Kasich, noting Sean Hannity recently held a fundraiser for him. Campaign-finance filings also show that Rupert and Wendi Murdoch have given the Kasich campaign a combined $20,000.

Thirty-seven states are electing governors this year and the governors' associations are fighting hard for control. So far, campaign-finance reports show the groups have poured a combined $5.6 million into Ohio as their efforts to win a coveted battleground state with a history of swinging presidential elections.

O'Reilly, a conservative commentator, said during the Aug. 18 broadcast with Kasich that he had invited Strickland to the show that day. Lis Smith, Strickland's campaign spokeswoman, confirmed the Democratic governor was invited.

Smith said President Obama was in Ohio that day and the governor was busy with the visit. Strickland has been invited onto Fox shows four times since January, she said. He appeared twice and declined twice.

Kasich has appeared nine times this year and more than 50 times since he announced his candidacy in 2008, Democrats say.

A Kasich campaign spokesman declined to comment on the complaint.

Full post as published by First Amendment Center on September 02, 2010 (boomark / email).