LOWELL - Eileen Donoghue's campaign is accusing a Washington, D.C., group of trying to buy Tuesday's 5th Congressional District election for Niki Tsongas. It's the same group Donoghue once asked for support.
The Lowell city councilor is crying foul after Emily's List, a women's pro-choice political network, sent out three oversized, expensive mailings for Tsongas in the past week - reaching some 18,000 women in the district.
Emily's List refused to say how much it spent on the mailings. But the group filed a report with the Federal Election Commission on Aug. 27, reporting $39,120 in mailing services, postage and printing expenses paid to the Mack Crounse Group - a Democratic direct mail firm - in support of Tsongas' campaign.
"Emily's List has been trying to buy this election from the start," Donoghue spokesman Scott Ferson said. "They are desperate. They know their expensive candidate is going to lose. Now they're doing whatever it takes to win this election.
"Eileen doesn't need outsider groups from Washington telling her how to vote or behave," he said. "Niki Tsongas has relied on her powerful friends from Washington to craft positions and put words in her mouth."
But Donoghue tried to gain an endorsement from Emily's List at the beginning of the campaign, according to the group's spokeswoman. They are calling this attack a case of sour grapes.
"I'm somewhat mystified," Emily's List spokeswoman Ramona Oliver said. "Yes, we are trying to get Niki elected. That's what we do. But that's all. We don't lobby or have a legislative agenda ... It's not an unusual thing to see an opponent attack a candidate's strength. That's what is happening here."
Emily's List endorsed Tsongas - a Lowell resident and dean at Middlesex Community College - back in May. The group has become one of her chief supporters.
It's the only national political action committee, PAC, to really delve into this race - these groups usually come out in general elections - and it has become a bone of contention among the five Democratic candidates on several occasions.
Andover state Rep. Barry Finegold recently asked his rivals to sign a pledge against negative campaigning after Emily's List unleashed a fundraising e-mail saying that Donoghue, Finegold and Acton state Rep. James Eldridge were attacking Tsongas.
The Lowell city councilor is crying foul after Emily's List, a women's pro-choice political network, sent out three oversized, expensive mailings for Tsongas in the past week - reaching some 18,000 women in the district.
Emily's List refused to say how much it spent on the mailings. But the group filed a report with the Federal Election Commission on Aug. 27, reporting $39,120 in mailing services, postage and printing expenses paid to the Mack Crounse Group - a Democratic direct mail firm - in support of Tsongas' campaign.
"Emily's List has been trying to buy this election from the start," Donoghue spokesman Scott Ferson said. "They are desperate. They know their expensive candidate is going to lose. Now they're doing whatever it takes to win this election.
"Eileen doesn't need outsider groups from Washington telling her how to vote or behave," he said. "Niki Tsongas has relied on her powerful friends from Washington to craft positions and put words in her mouth."
But Donoghue tried to gain an endorsement from Emily's List at the beginning of the campaign, according to the group's spokeswoman. They are calling this attack a case of sour grapes.
"I'm somewhat mystified," Emily's List spokeswoman Ramona Oliver said. "Yes, we are trying to get Niki elected. That's what we do. But that's all. We don't lobby or have a legislative agenda ... It's not an unusual thing to see an opponent attack a candidate's strength. That's what is happening here."
Emily's List endorsed Tsongas - a Lowell resident and dean at Middlesex Community College - back in May. The group has become one of her chief supporters.
It's the only national political action committee, PAC, to really delve into this race - these groups usually come out in general elections - and it has become a bone of contention among the five Democratic candidates on several occasions.
Andover state Rep. Barry Finegold recently asked his rivals to sign a pledge against negative campaigning after Emily's List unleashed a fundraising e-mail saying that Donoghue, Finegold and Acton state Rep. James Eldridge were attacking Tsongas.
The group had attacked Finegold's record on abortion earlier in the race.
"It is one thing for an outside group to be involved and support a candidate, but it is a different story when outside groups.intentionally distort other candidates' records for the.benefit of their candidate," Eldridge spokesman Tom Mills said..
Tsongas has defended the group's actions throughout the campaign, and this time was no different.
"The mailings that were sent out this week were positive pieces about Niki's plan to make sure all Americans have access to great health care," Tsongas spokeswoman Katie Elbert said.
Elbert said she couldn't understand how Donoghue, who has loaned her campaign close to a half million dollars, could say the Tsongas campaign was looking to buy the election.
Donoghue just loaned her campaign another $40,000 Friday. Tsongas reported receiving $48,500 in donations a day before.
"(Donoghue) has funneled close to half a million dollars into a campaign that's putting out negative ads," Elbert said. "They are behind by double-digits."
Donoghue's campaign has questioned why Emily's List wouldn't have helped both women or just stayed out of the primary. Both women support the right to an abortion.
Ferson said this race shows that the group has become one of the "Washington good old boys."
"Last I checked, Eileen fit their description," he said. "Why are they working so hard to defeat her? It's insider politics in Washington playing out. Emily's List should have stayed out of this race. They might have kept their reputation intact."
Oliver said they just chose who they thought would best represent the women in the district.
"We felt Tsongas was the strongest candidate of the two," Oliver said. "Picking between two women was a good problem to have. Twenty-two years ago, we could hardly find a woman candidate."
Elbert said if Tsongas is elected, no one except the residents of the 5th District will tell her how to vote.
But Ferson said he was skeptical about that, too.
"Maybe someone should tell Emily's List that. They will be upset they're spending all this money and not being listened to," he said. "Have they ever spent so much money to defeat a man?"
