TISEI STATEMENT ON FAILURE OF PAC NEGOTIATIONS WITH TIERNEY

(Lynnfield, MA) — After weeks of trying to reach an agreement on the influence of outside PAC expenditures in the Congressional race, Congressional candidate Richard Tisei has concluded that the talks are at an impasse.

“In March, I made an offer to John Tierney to put limits on ourselves in terms of how much Washington-based PAC money we could each receive. It was met with silence,” said Tisei. “Then I outraised him for the second quarter in a row and suddenly he wanted to talk. I agreed to have my staff meet with Tierney’s staff. While the meetings were cordial, it appears to me that agreement on the conditions that would achieve a level playing field for both candidates is no longer possible – and that’s a real shame.”

According to federal election records (see opensecrets.org), John Tierney relies heavily on direct Washington-based PAC contributions during each election cycle. “When you get 42% of your election money from PACs rather than people, I can see why agreeing to a level playing field with PAC money would be unattractive to John Tierney. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t respond to me in March and now won’t agree to a level playing field when it comes to direct PAC contributions. That addiction is unhealthy for the Congressman and has a very negative impact on the way he votes in Washington, unfortunately.”

“At the outset of our negotiations, I instructed my campaign to come to agreement if the Tierney camp would agree to a truly level playing field. They did not and, as a result, I’m unwilling to continue in fruitless negotiations,” said Tisei. “I’m very confident in my own ability to raise the funds needed to fight and win this November and will re-double my efforts on all fronts.”

“I look forward to a vigorous campaign on the issues and the voters having an opportunity to hear my views on the issues,” said Tisei.

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