Congressman Charlie Bass's is denying the allegation by the New Hampshire attorney general's that his campaign violated the state's push polling law.
The attorney general says Charlie Bass’s campaign deliberately avoided identifying itself as being behind a 2010 poll that included negative information about Democrat Ann McLane Kuster. The AG’s suit against the Bass campaign cites 400 calls. Under state law, each one of those calls could trigger a $1000 fine. But Congressman Bass says he doesn’t expect his committee will end up paying up.
“I think a close reading of the law will show that the campaign did not conduct a push poll and that this was a poll that was essentially the same as any other poll that might have been run by any other campaign.”
The attorney’s general’s office has stepped up has been more vigilant about enforcing the NH push polling law. In the last two years it’s cracked down on polls commissioned by former congressman Paul Hodes, congressman Frank Guinta and the state democratic party. All paid settlements with the state. Bass says his committee declined to seek a similar deal. His poll was carried out by the Virginia-based Tarrance Group. According to emails subpoenaed by the state, the Bass victory committee specifically asked the Tarrance Group to remove Bass's name from the disclaimer included in the poll's script.
