Toomey calls for attack ad groups to disclose donors

Pennsylvania’s Republican U-S Senate candidate Pat Toomey says he thinks groups that have spent more than a million dollars attacking his opponent should reveal their donors.

Pennsylvania’s Republican U-S Senate candidate Pat Toomey says he thinks groups that have spent more than a million dollars attacking his opponent should reveal their donors.

Spending by outside groups during this year’s mid-term elections has more than doubled nationally since 2006. And Republicans are by far the winners when it comes to dollars spent by those organizations.

Groups that create their own attack ads, and don’t have to reveal their sources have spent more than a million dollars promoting Toomey by assailing his Democratic opponent Joe Sestak.

But despite the benefits, Toomey says he thinks those groups should not be allowed to exist. Instead, Toomey says donors should have to give directly to candidates and candidates should have to disclose that information within 48 hours on the internet.

“Then everyone would know who gives money to whom and candidates would control their own message and their own campaigns and there would be no incentives to funnel money into outside groups. that’s the arrangement I would prefer.”

Currently, groups like Americans for Tax Reform and Karl Rove’s Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategy — are helping Toomey without any kind of disclosure.

Joe Sestak has also benefitted from such groups — but so far spending on his behalf by these types of organizations is about one-quarter the amount spent for Toomey.