Sparks Camp Calls Davis Out on Spending

State Ag and Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks' campaign is calling U.S. Rep. Artur Davis out for how Davis has spent $120,000 in federal campaign funds.

Both men want to be the Democratic nominee for governor in 2010, and their campaigns have traded a few testy press releases in recent weeks.

"Our campaign will not engage in an argument with the Davis campaign over what appears to us to be a very clear matter of law," according to a press release sent Friday. "The law says when someone has spent more than $25,000 in an effort to become governor that they must file with the Alabama Secretary of State. The law also says that it is illegal to raise money for the 2010 governor's race before June of this year."

Davis' camp recently defended his campaign spending in an Associated Press article saying that he's not officially running for governor yet. Davis camp also fired back at the AP over the article, saying that the news service got it wrong.

“Unfortunately, the Associated Press circulated an entirely inaccurate story regarding Congressman Davis’ adherence to the letter and spirit of Alabama campaign finance law,” campaign spokeswoman Anna Ruth Williams said, in a press release Thursday. “The Associated Press mistakenly states that Congressman Davis vowed to cease spending money out of his campaign account. That claim is wrong, because Congressman Davis never made that promise."


The Sparks camp says it has spent less than $1,000 so far, and has returned checks to supporters who attempted to make a contribution because that's what they believe the law says they must do.

The Sparks camp went on to say in the release, "Congressman Davis has been in Washington too long -- a place where one must ask "what is your definition of 'is'? He seems comfortable saying on on hand 'I'm running for governor' and on the other hand 'No I'm not," depending on which law he is selecting to obey. This is both confusing and disappointing. while Congressman Davis is calling for ethics reform in government, his actions have to make us ask, 'What is his definition of ethics?'"

-- posted by Markeshia Ricks