Race For Utah’s Fourth Congressional District Gets Hotter

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Mia Love says she did everything right while raising money for her campaign, but the Alliance For a Better Utah filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission.

They claim Love broke the law in raising money for a primary that had no challenger.

That’s something the Ben McAdams camp jumped on right away in their fight to unseat Love for Utah’s Fourth Congressional District.

“Well, the campaign finance laws are there for a reason. They’re there to limit influence peddling with members of congress. They say how much money you can raise, and from whom, over what time span,” said Alyson Heyrend, who is the communications director for the Ben McAdams campaign.

But Love says hold on.

She claims to have checked with the FEC and says she got an email from them saying what she did was OK.

Love released that email earlier Thursday.

“But most of all, that the FEC actually gave us written confirmation, written letters that we have complied with all of the laws, as we have already known that we’ve done,” said Love.

Love, who is the Republican incumbent, goes on to say McAdams is just playing dirty politics and that this complaint was simply a strategic move that backfired because of the email she received from the FEC.

“The McAdams campaign threw those things out there, along with the Alliance, because they knew, The Alliance For a Better Utah, because they knew that you don’t usually get a response until even a year after the election is over,” said Love. “So, not only is this a simple case for them, which is why they were able to reach those conclusions, but I think that they knew. My personal belief is that they knew that this would affect this campaign if they didn’t get the information out there.”

Of course, the McAdams side says that email isn’t a legal, binding decision and no way does it clear Love from doing what she did.

“Mia Love is not new to this,” said Heyrend. “She’s been on the ballot several times. She should be familiar with the rules and the regulations and she of all people should know that what she did was wrong.”

Heyrend says McAdams was unavailable for an on-camera interview.

So what now?

Was a law broken?

The FEC has not made an official ruling or an official decision on the original complaint. So, technically, this matter has not been officially resolved.

Love’s side will say that email, though, says a lot.

The McAdams side will say that email says nothing.

One thing that is for certain: Election Day is Nov. 6.