SPOKANE, Wash. – Gubernatorial hopeful State Senator Mark Mullet announced two ethics complaints he’s made against fellow candidate Attorney General Bob Ferguson Wednesday.
Mullet says that he’s issued Washington Bar Association and State Executive Ethics Board complaints stating that Ferguson broke the law by appearing with Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to announce that two fake Bob Ferguson campaigns would not appear on the August ballot.
“AG Ferguson…applied verbal pressure on Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to violate RCW 29A.36.131 and rearrange the ballot order as the Ferguson campaign legal team had already demanded in their memo earlier that day,” Mullet’s campaign said.
Mullet’s campaign has asked the Washington Ethics Board to clarify regulations around how candidates engage with the Secretary of State’s Office.
“You are not allowed to use your personal political power to pressure the Secretary of State’s office to change the order in which candidates’ names appear on the ballot,” Mullet’s campaign said.
Ferguson’s campaign slammed the ethics complaints as nonsubstantive.
“We understand Mark’s campaign is increasingly desperate for attention. He’s polling at four percent and his campaign is broke. These complaints are frivolous and we look forward to them being dismissed. The Ferguson campaign is focused on defeating anti-choice Republican Congressman Dave Reichert in November,” Campaign Manager Bayley Burgess said.
The two false Fergusons were both paid to register to run for governor by conservative activist Glen Morgan. The same address was used to file both campaigns, which then rescinded their candidacies after the Secretary of State said they could be violating state law.
