It has offended the Nevada GOP.
Nevada Secretary of State, Democrat Ross Miller, up for re-election, appears in the 30 second ad for six seconds. Nevada’s GOP has filed an ethics complaint against Miller for using taxpayer money to further his political career. [Las Vegas Sun]
The ad shows Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters urging people to mail in their census forms. The UFC paid for the production of the ad. Nevada spent $156,723 to air it statewide between March 10 and April 3.
Miller calls the complaint a “completely silly allegation.”
The Census Bureau liaison asked him to participate in the census ad campaign to inform Nevadans that returning the form was worth $10,000 to Nevada. Miller is chair of Nevada’s Complete Count Committee, which oversees the decennial census. He is also a fan of UFC.
Miller acknowledged the ads could benefit his campaign but no more so than simply performing other aspects of his job as secretary of state.
“Obviously, for someone seeking re-election, my candidacy is going to benefit anytime I’m seen as successfully upholding the duties of the secretary of state,” he said.
Turns out that Nevada State Treasurer, Kate Marshall, has used radio ads to promote Nevada’s college savings plan. She spent $12,000 in the past year.
The $961,550 marketing plan for Nevada’s census was approved by the Nevada Legislature.
Republican Rob Lauer, running against Miller, says Miller “is clearly running a shadow campaign using that money. He wants to look cool with the UFC people.”
Nevada’s GOP also complained that Miller put his office phone number on the forms he filled out to run for re-election. Miller said he simply entered the wrong phone number on the wrong line on the form.
Nevada’s GOP filed a similar complaint against Kate Marshall.
Sounds like much ado about nothing.
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