Virginia Dems File FEC Complaint Against Tom Davis

The Virginia Democratic Party filed complaints today with the Federal Election Commission and the Virginia State Board of Elections alleging that Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) violated federal election law by paying for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of TV ads being run by his wife, state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, in her bid for re-election to the Virginia Senate.

Devolites Davis is being opposed by J. Chapman "Chap" Petersen in her bid for a second state Senate term.

Tom Davis and his wife have both dismissed the allegation as a publicity stunt by Democrats, as well as an attempt to distract Virginia voters from the real issues of the campaign, such as gun control.

In a letter today to the FEC and the Virginia Board of Elections, Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Richard Cranwell claimed that "Mrs. Devolites Davis is currently airing television advertisements and mailing print advertisements in connection with her campaign, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, that have been paid for directly by the congressional campaign committee of her husband, Congressman Tom Davis."

Cranwell added: "The television ads and mailings not only fail to disclose the true source of the financing for these communications, but also falsely convey the impression that they were paid for entirely by Ms. Devolites Davis's campaign committee. This activity violates both State of Virginia and federal 'stand by your ad' laws."

Tom Davis' re-election campaign contributed nearly $400,000 in "in-kind" contributions to the Devolites Davis campaign last week, payments that went directly to a GOP media firm.

Tom Davis said the contributions "were entirely legal," and he suggested that Democrats were "just trying to get some headlines' before next Tuesday's state election.

Petersen and Devolites Davis are locked in a tight, hugely expensive state race that may see as much as $2 million spent on both sides.