The Democratic Party of Hawaii is accusing Republican gubernatorial contender James “Duke” Aiona and the Republican Governors Association of violating state campaign laws.
In a statement today, Democratic Party lawyer Tony Gill claimed the Aiona campaign shared research with the RGA, which then used the information to produce ads that appeared between Aug. 5 and Sept. 24.
According to the statement, those actions violated Hawaii laws that bar independent expenditures when “in concert or cooperation” with a candidate or candidate committee.
A complaint was filed with the state Campaign Spending Commission. The Democrats are to hold a news conference later today.
The Aiona campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.