The Republican Party of Wisconsin wants election officials to investigate alleged coordination between the Service Employees International Union and Democrat Tom Barrett’s campaign for governor. RPW executive director Mark Jefferson says they’ve filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Board over what they believe is an improper relationship between the union and campaign.
The complaint is based on a conversation between a former SEIU employee and a member of Republican Scott Walker’s campaign, in which John-David Morgan talked about coordinated efforts to attack Walker and support Barrett. In a call with reporters Wednesday, Jefferson downplayed questions about Morgan’s credibility, since he was secretly recorded outside of a bar in Milwaukee and the Walker aide lied about his identity.
Morgan, a paid employee of SEIU, was fired after his comments were made public.
Jefferson says the source of the information or how it was obtained should not be the issue, but whether the claims are true.
State election laws prohibit campaigns from coordinating with outside groups, although they do not ban all contact. An official with Barrett’s campaign so there was no illegal contact with SEIU and any conversations with union members have followed the law.