The Democrats allege that the Republicans accepted money that originated from corporations.
N.C. Democratic Party Executive Director Kimberly Reynolds filed the complaint against the N.C. GOP, the Republican Governors Association, the federal super PAC Republican Governors Association Right Direction and the Pat McCrory Committee.
The complaint alleges that the RGA, which accepts corporate donations, gave money to the N.C. GOP through its super PAC, and these donations were then used to help Gov. Pat McCrory’s reelection campaign. State campaign finance law prohibits direct and indirect corporate contributions to campaigns.
“The North Carolina Republican Party, in turn, has used these impermissible funds to try to boost the reelection campaign of Gov. Pat McCrory,” Reynolds said in the complaint. “The State Board of Elections must step in to halt this scheme.”
In a statement, Jon Thompson, spokesperson for the RGA, said the contributions do not violate campaign laws. He said the complaint is an attempt to mislead voters.
“The RGA’s contributions contained no corporate dollars, as compliant with state law,” he said. “Unable to articulate a cohesive message about the issues or counter North Carolina’s positive momentum, it’s no surprise that Roy Cooper and his friends are using outright falsehoods and fabrications as the closing message for his struggling campaign.”
In the complaint, Reynolds requested the N.C. State Board of Elections force the N.C. GOP and the McCrory campaign to return all money received from the RGA. She said the Republican Governors Association should be fined.
In a statement, the N.C. Democratic Party said the alleged illegal contributions total more than $1 million.
