Home / Media Notebook / U.S. Chamber of Commerce

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Posted on 09-23-2004 4:29 PM EDT

Washington state business groups have complained to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about an ad campaign aired earlier this month that sought to defeat a Democratic attorney general candidate in a primary election, the Seattle Times reported Wednesday.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform secretly provided $1.5 million to a group called the Voters Education Committee, which broadcast the ads. The Chamber’s role was revealed after the state’s Public Disclosure Commission compelled the Voters Education Committee to disclose its contributors.

"Washingtonians don’t like surprises or what they perceive as outside interference," said a letter to the national Chamber signed by six state business groups.

"The head of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce told members that the letter was written to express 'our strong disdain for this type of thing,'" the Times reported.

The candidate targeted by the Chamber, former state insurance commissioner Deborah Senn, won a close primary race.