MNGOP files a complaint against Rybak

The Minnesota Republican Party filed a complaint with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board against Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak over the use of a DFL voter file. Rybak's mayoral campaign finance reports show that he spent $13,000 on a DFL voter file. The MNGOP believes Rybak used the statewide voter file for a campaign for governor not his mayoral campaign, They argue that the purchase of the database should have triggered paperwork stating Rybak was running for governor.

"We believe Mayor Rybak's mayoral campaign purchase of the VAN represents additional illegal expenditures in pursuit of the governor's office, given that said purchases occurred without the lawful establishment of a gubernatorial campaign committee," the complaint said.

Tina Smith, Rybak's campaign manager, said she's confused by the complaint since Rybak's mayoral campaign and his campaign for governor both paid the $13,000 for the DFL voter database. She said the mayor Rybak's mayoral campaign relied on the database for legitimate purposes like fundraising.

"I'm not going into details of what our campaign strategy is here but I can tell you that we used it for legitimate purposes and when we created the governor's campaign, we repurchased the license to be absolutely positive that we're doing this the right way."

The Campaign Finance Board ruled in November that Rybak should have filed a campaign for governor in May when he commissioned a poll through his mayoral campaign that the board believed should have been paid for by a campaign for governor. The board ordered Rybak to have his campaign for governor reimburse his campaign for mayor the $26,000 for the poll. Those funds count against Rybak's spending limits.

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