Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren make super PAC pact
Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts and his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren have entered into a super PAC pact.
The two candidates have agreed to discourage outside groups like super PACs from airing ads in their high-profile race. The agreement came after Brown called on Warren to denounce the millions in outside advertising flooding Massachusetts media on her behalf. For instance, the League of Conservation Voters spent nearly $2 million attacking Brown's record. On the other side, the group Crossroads GPS attacked Warren in a seven-figure ad campaign targeting four Democratic Senate candidates.
In a statement today, Brown called his agreement with Warren to discourage such ads "a great victory for the people of Massachusetts, and a bold statement that puts Super PACs and other third parties on notice that their interference in this race will not be tolerated."
Political candidates are already barred from coordinating with super PACs that run ads on their behalf. Nevertheless, the pledge commits Brown and Warren to paying a price if groups run negative ads on their behalf. The pledge says that if an outside group does run an ad attacking either Brown or Warren, the other candidate must pay 50 percent of the ads' cost to a charity of the targeted candidates' choice.
Even without the help of third parties, Brown and Warren have plenty of cash to spend on their campaigns. After an impressive fundraising year in 2011, Warren's campaign holds just over $6 million in cash on hand, the Boston Globe reports, while the incumbent Brown has $12.8 million in his campaign account.
