news-record.com

RALEIGH - Bob Crumley has taken his name and images out of ads for his law firm after rulings by election officials that those commercials could constitute illegal contributions to his campaign for state attorney general.

The Republican is trying to unseat Democrat Roy Cooper in November. He contended his ads didn't violate campaign finance laws but decided to comply with the election official's requests to avoid a costly and time-consuming showdown less than two months before an election.

"I have bigger fish to fry right now," Crumley said, adding, "I think the position the (state) board of elections is taking is designed to affect a particular candidate and that candidate is me."

Elections officials could not be reached to respond to that allegation. However, Democratic legislative candidates could run afoul of the same ruling, according to party and campaign officials.

Crumley vowed he would take up the issue after the election was over.

Crumley and Associates has long run ads in markets where it has offices, including Greensboro, the Triangle and Charlotte.

In June and July, Crumley's campaign asked the State Board of Elections for opinions on whether he would be allowed to continue airing the commercials during the campaign, particularly during a 60-day period before the election when rules tighten.

At the same time, the News & Record reported online about one ad in particular that prompted raised eyebrows from open government advocates. The commercial did not explicitly mention it was a solicitation for a law firm but did contain phrases such as, "People helping people, that's part of our North Carolina heritage. For Bob Crumley, it's been his life."

That ad prompted a complaint from the state Democratic Party, saying Crumley's ad should count as a campaign expenditure and his firm's spending should therefore have been disclosed in public reports.

Crumley's campaign did disclose its spending on a number of commercials, even while saying it shouldn't have to. In a letter to the campaign, the state board said disclosure constitutes "substantial compliance" with the law and that it will dismiss the Democrats' complaints.

"It is unfortunate that it took a complaint for Bob Crumley to obey the law by taking down his ads and disclosing his donors," said Kerra Bolton, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Party. Bolton said that someone who wanted to be the state's chief law enforcement officer shouldn't have to be prodded into compliance with campaign laws.

But Crumley faulted the board and Cooper, the current office holder, for both misinterpreting the law and not making it clear to candidates.

"If I'm elected attorney general of this state, the State Board of Elections will not have an attorney general who will just sit back when they take outlandish views of the law," Crumley said.

He said it cost his firm $10,000 to remove his image and name from its advertising.

"It also puts my law firm at a competitive disadvantage," Crumley said. That's because Crumley has long been the face of his firm and his competitors will be able to advertise unfettered by such restrictions.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com