By Paul Tuthill
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Boston, MA – Massachusetts US Senator Scott Brown and his likely Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Warren signed an agreement Monday aimed at keeping third party advertizing out of their hotly contested campaign. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.
The agreement, called the People's Pledge, consists of a joint appeal to outside organizations to refrain from advertising to influence the outcome of the Massachusetts Senate race. It asks TV and radio stations to refuse to air third party political ads. And, it imposes financial penalties on the campaigns themselves, if the PACs and other interests groups don't go along.
The agreement, which Brown and Warren signed Monday morning, accompanied by press releases and political posturing, was greeted with both praise and skepticism by Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts.
Federal law bans candidates from coordinating with third party groups on political advertising. The agreement signed by Brown and Warren seeks to discourage the outside advertisements by imposing financial penalties on the campaigns for advertizing purchased by outside groups. For example, the Brown campaign would give to a charity of Warren's choice, an amount equal to fifty percent of an ad buy from an independent group that supports Brown.
Millions have already been spent by outside groups trying to influence votes in the closely watch Massachusetts Senate Race. The League of Conservation Voters ran this ad critical of Brown
A statement from the League of Conservation Voters said it was inclined to respect the agreement between Brown and Warren.
Amercian Crossroads, which has ties to Republican political strategist Karl Rove, has run ads critical of Warren.
A spokesperson for American Crossroads declined to say if it would stop running ads in Massachusetts.
The agreement between Brown and Warren covers broadcast , cable and satellite advertising and the internet. But there is no mention of direct mail or phone banks.
Tim Vercellotti, a political science professor and director of the Polling Institute at Western New England University says any loopholes in the agreement will surely be exploited.
Even without spending by outside groups , the Massachusetts senate race is expected to be very expensive. Warren has been on a fund raising tear, with a million dollars raised by her campaign in a single day last week. Brown had 12 piont 8 million dollars in the bank at last report.