Dems fume over Flake robocalls

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Flake came under fire Monday from Arizona Democrats for a round of automated phone calls that provided some Democratic voters with incorrect information about their polling sites.

News that a handful of Democrats received the robocalls, which Flake subsequently said were intended only for Republicans and inadvertentantly went to only a small number of Democrats because of discrepancies in Maricopa County voter data, was broken Sunday night by 12 News.

Flake, a six-term congressman, is in a tough battle with Democrat Richard Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general. Election Day is today.

The original 12 News report included an interview with Democrat Mary Crecco of Scottsdale who said she "just freaked out" when she got the Flake robocall. The recording encouraged her to vote for Flake but identified the wrong polling location. "It was totally wrong, totally wrong, and I feel like it was done purposely," she told the TV station.

Democratic Party officials told The Arizona Republic on Monday that they have confirmed that at least six Democrats got the Flake call and were given incorrect information. One other Democrat contacted The Republic with the same complaint.

The Arizona Democratic Party on Monday demanded that the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, the state Attorney General's Office, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice look into the Flake calls.

William Solomon, an assistant U.S. attorney in Phoenix, told The Republic that a request for an investigation had been received and referred to the proper investigative agency.

"No decision has yet been made as to whether or not an investigation will result from this referral," Solomon said. "The Department of Justice ordinarily does not confirm or deny the existence or status of an investigation once a request for investigation has been received."

FBI Special Agent Manuel Johnson, spokesman for the FBI's Phoenix office, told The Republic that the FBI was aware of the situation but could not confirm or deny that the matter would be investigated.

Luis Heredia, the state Democratic Party's executive director, said in a written statement that "it is clear the Flake campaign was targeting Democrats in a clumsy attempt to influence tomorrow's election."

In a written statement, Flake said the 120,000 robocalls were part of a get-out-the-vote effort targeting registered Republicans. Andrew Wilder, his campaign spokesman, said a small number of the calls went to Democrats who for whatever reason shared the same telephone number with Republicans listed on the voter rolls.

The Flake campaign identified a registered Republican whose voter information included the same number as Crecco.

Wilder also pointed to the fact that the calls were clearly identified as paid for by Flake's campaign as proof that there was no sinister motive.

"The call clearly stated that it was from my campaign because it was intended for Republicans," Flake said in his statement. "We received fewer than a dozen calls from voters with questions about the information provided, nearly all of which we were able to reconcile. Some adult children were registered under their parents' address. In other cases, voters had moved but not updated their registration."

Carmona said it was "troubling" that Flake campaign was trying to complicate the voting process.

"But, ultimately, Congressman Flake or any other group can't stop anyone from voting who is registered and shows up," Carmona said Monday in a statement.

A poll released Sunday by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling had Flake leading Carmona 51 percent to 46 percent. The automated survey of 1,080 likely Arizona voters, conducted Friday and Saturday, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

To find your polling place, visit https://voter.azsos.gov/VoterView/PollingPlaceSearch.do.

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Brewer PAC adds cash to help Flake campaign

Gov. Jan Brewer's federal political-action committee has poured $100,000 into Republican Jeff Flake's U.S. Senate campaign, new federal filings show.

Federal Election Commission records show that Jan PAC spent the money on mailers on Flake's behalf.

Flake faces Democrat Richard Carmona in a race that has become one of the most closely watched in the nation and could help decide which party controls the Senate.

This is the governor's latest foray into Arizona's tightly contested partisan races -- she also has sunk money into the campaigns of GOP candidates seeking office in three of the state's congressional districts.

Carmona's campaign decried Brewer's intervention in the race.

"Jan Brewer was once begging Rich Carmona to run for governor," said Andy Barr, Carmona's spokesman. "This shows how broken and absurd our politics have become, that these career politicians only care if you have an 'R' or 'D' next to your name, not what you'd do for Arizona."

Andrew Wilder, Flake's campaign spokesman, said Flake's team doesn't comment on outside spending by supporters as a matter of policy.

The Flake mailers come a day after Jan PAC spent money in eastern Arizona's newly drawn Congressional District 1, one of the most competitive races in the nation.

Jan PAC, according to the state Democratic Party, "has launched a full-scale attack" on Democratic congressional candidate Ann Kirkpatrick, who is battling Republican Jonathan Paton, a former state senator.

Records show Jan PAC on Tuesday spent $35,567 on a mailer to attack Kirkpatrick.

The buy comes on the heels of Jan PAC's recent attack mailer on Congressional District 9 Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema, a former state senator.

Sinema is in a heated battle with Republican Vernon Parker for the right to represent the newly drawn congressional district.

"I think it's unprecedented for a sitting governor to double down on negative attacks," said Luis Heredia, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party. "And it does not create an environment of trying to solve problems facing Arizona voters if you have a governor who is extremely partisan. I don't go out on a limb by labeling her as the most partisan governor we've had in our state."

Paul Senseman, spokesman for Jan PAC, said the governor believes Flake is the better fit for the Senate post.

"The governor is very fond of Congressman Flake, and she believes he has the right temperament and leadership capabilities to best represent Arizona and hopefully find some new success and attention by the federal government," Senseman said.

Senseman described the Flake mailer as a "very positive piece."

Meanwhile, the committee on Tuesday spent an additional $29,651 on a mailer to support Republican Martha McSally, who faces Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Barber in Arizona's Congressional District 2 race.

The governor created the committee last year and has said it would be dedicated to "securing the border and restoring integrity to our immigration system, fighting 'Obamacare,' creating jobs (getting Americans back to work) and reducing the sea of government."

The PAC has raised about $587,000.

Brewer is tentatively scheduled to head to Colorado today, where she will be raising money for Jan PAC, The Arizona Republic has learned.

Staff writer Dan Nowicki contributed to this article.

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Dems fume over Flake robocalls

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Flake came under fire Monday from Arizona Democrats for a round of automated phone calls that provided some Democratic voters with incorrect information about their polling sites.

News that a handful of Democrats received the robocalls, which Flake subsequently said were intended only for Republicans and inadvertentantly went to only a small number of Democrats because of discrepancies in Maricopa County voter data, was broken Sunday night by 12 News.

Flake, a six-term congressman, is in a tough battle with Democrat Richard Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general. Election Day is today.

The original 12 News report included an interview with Democrat Mary Crecco of Scottsdale who said she "just freaked out" when she got the Flake robocall. The recording encouraged her to vote for Flake but identified the wrong polling location. "It was totally wrong, totally wrong, and I feel like it was done purposely," she told the TV station.

Democratic Party officials told The Arizona Republic on Monday that they have confirmed that at least six Democrats got the Flake call and were given incorrect information. One other Democrat contacted The Republic with the same complaint.

The Arizona Democratic Party on Monday demanded that the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, the state Attorney General's Office, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice look into the Flake calls.

William Solomon, an assistant U.S. attorney in Phoenix, told The Republic that a request for an investigation had been received and referred to the proper investigative agency.

"No decision has yet been made as to whether or not an investigation will result from this referral," Solomon said. "The Department of Justice ordinarily does not confirm or deny the existence or status of an investigation once a request for investigation has been received."

FBI Special Agent Manuel Johnson, spokesman for the FBI's Phoenix office, told The Republic that the FBI was aware of the situation but could not confirm or deny that the matter would be investigated.

Luis Heredia, the state Democratic Party's executive director, said in a written statement that "it is clear the Flake campaign was targeting Democrats in a clumsy attempt to influence tomorrow's election."

In a written statement, Flake said the 120,000 robocalls were part of a get-out-the-vote effort targeting registered Republicans. Andrew Wilder, his campaign spokesman, said a small number of the calls went to Democrats who for whatever reason shared the same telephone number with Republicans listed on the voter rolls.

The Flake campaign identified a registered Republican whose voter information included the same number as Crecco.

Wilder also pointed to the fact that the calls were clearly identified as paid for by Flake's campaign as proof that there was no sinister motive.

"The call clearly stated that it was from my campaign because it was intended for Republicans," Flake said in his statement. "We received fewer than a dozen calls from voters with questions about the information provided, nearly all of which we were able to reconcile. Some adult children were registered under their parents' address. In other cases, voters had moved but not updated their registration."

Carmona said it was "troubling" that Flake campaign was trying to complicate the voting process.

"But, ultimately, Congressman Flake or any other group can't stop anyone from voting who is registered and shows up," Carmona said Monday in a statement.

A poll released Sunday by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling had Flake leading Carmona 51 percent to 46 percent. The automated survey of 1,080 likely Arizona voters, conducted Friday and Saturday, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

To find your polling place, visit https://voter.azsos.gov/VoterView/PollingPlaceSearch.do.

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Brewer PAC adds cash to help Flake campaign

Gov. Jan Brewer's federal political-action committee has poured $100,000 into Republican Jeff Flake's U.S. Senate campaign, new federal filings show.

Federal Election Commission records show that Jan PAC spent the money on mailers on Flake's behalf.

Flake faces Democrat Richard Carmona in a race that has become one of the most closely watched in the nation and could help decide which party controls the Senate.

This is the governor's latest foray into Arizona's tightly contested partisan races -- she also has sunk money into the campaigns of GOP candidates seeking office in three of the state's congressional districts.

Carmona's campaign decried Brewer's intervention in the race.

"Jan Brewer was once begging Rich Carmona to run for governor," said Andy Barr, Carmona's spokesman. "This shows how broken and absurd our politics have become, that these career politicians only care if you have an 'R' or 'D' next to your name, not what you'd do for Arizona."

Andrew Wilder, Flake's campaign spokesman, said Flake's team doesn't comment on outside spending by supporters as a matter of policy.

The Flake mailers come a day after Jan PAC spent money in eastern Arizona's newly drawn Congressional District 1, one of the most competitive races in the nation.

Jan PAC, according to the state Democratic Party, "has launched a full-scale attack" on Democratic congressional candidate Ann Kirkpatrick, who is battling Republican Jonathan Paton, a former state senator.

Records show Jan PAC on Tuesday spent $35,567 on a mailer to attack Kirkpatrick.

The buy comes on the heels of Jan PAC's recent attack mailer on Congressional District 9 Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema, a former state senator.

Sinema is in a heated battle with Republican Vernon Parker for the right to represent the newly drawn congressional district.

"I think it's unprecedented for a sitting governor to double down on negative attacks," said Luis Heredia, executive director of the Arizona Democratic Party. "And it does not create an environment of trying to solve problems facing Arizona voters if you have a governor who is extremely partisan. I don't go out on a limb by labeling her as the most partisan governor we've had in our state."

Paul Senseman, spokesman for Jan PAC, said the governor believes Flake is the better fit for the Senate post.

"The governor is very fond of Congressman Flake, and she believes he has the right temperament and leadership capabilities to best represent Arizona and hopefully find some new success and attention by the federal government," Senseman said.

Senseman described the Flake mailer as a "very positive piece."

Meanwhile, the committee on Tuesday spent an additional $29,651 on a mailer to support Republican Martha McSally, who faces Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Barber in Arizona's Congressional District 2 race.

The governor created the committee last year and has said it would be dedicated to "securing the border and restoring integrity to our immigration system, fighting 'Obamacare,' creating jobs (getting Americans back to work) and reducing the sea of government."

The PAC has raised about $587,000.

Brewer is tentatively scheduled to head to Colorado today, where she will be raising money for Jan PAC, The Arizona Republic has learned.

Staff writer Dan Nowicki contributed to this article.

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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