Congressman Leonard Boswell, a Democrat, has asked his Republican opponent, Jeff Lamberti, to “call off” an out-of-state group that has spent thousands to lambast Boswell in hopes of getting Lamberti elected — and Lamberti has asked the group to end its work on his behalf. The group in question is called the Economic Freedom Fund.
“We did in fact send a letter this morning from my campaign asking that EFF remove those ads not because we believe they’re inaccurate but we agree that this campaign should not be about negative 30 second TV commercials,” Lamberti says.
Boswell says he hopes Lamberti is successful in getting the Economic Freedom Fund “to quit trying to buy” the election for Lamberti. “But of course so far just on TV alone they’ve spent a half a million, not counting what they’ve spent on robocalls. I even get calls on my telephone at home…telling me what a bad person I am.”
The Economic Freedom Fund is financed by some of the same people who bankrolled the “Swift Boat Veterans” group which criticized the war record of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Boswell, a retired military officer, says the “shadowy, out-of-state group” should stay out of Iowa races.
“It just seems to me that in Iowa for somebody out of California and Texas to come in here and try to influence an election and buy it, it’s just a little bit stepping over the line,” Boswell says.
Lamberti, meanwhile, is challenging Boswell to participate in more debates. “We will certainly ask for additional televised and radio debates which (Boswell) has refused to do at this point,” Lamberti says. The two men met this past Tuesday night for an hour-long discussion that was televised. The third district congressional candidates also appeared together on Iowa Public Television in September and in August they appeared together at a labor convention.
Boswell campaign officials say they do not intend to accept more “debate” invitations. The two men are scheduled to share the same stage one more time before the election during an event on October 22nd at a Jewish temple in Des Moines.