Walz, AFSCME Ads Inaccurate

Gutknecht for Congress campaign cites false statements, campaign finance abuses

10.6.2006

Rochester, Minn. - The Gutknecht for Congress campaign has issued a letter to television station managers asking them to pull an attack advertisement placed by the AFSCME labor union against Congressman Gil Gutknecht. AFSCME is running similar advertisements across the country. Many of these advertisements have been pulled due to false and misleading information.

"Tim Walz and AFSCME are deliberately misleading First District voters in a desperate attempt to save his flagging campaign. Walz and AFSCME have one thing in common: they believe American taxpayers aren't sending enough money to Washington," said Gutknecht for Congress spokesman Bryan Anderson. "While higher taxes and more government spending might be a hit at the DFL house parties Walz attends, it is woefully out of step with the majority of Southern Minnesota voters."

AFSCME's advertisement claims Congressman Gutknecht supported a pay raise for each of the past eight years. This is factually inaccurate. Since Gutknecht took office, there have been three up or down votes on the pay raise. Gutknecht voted to block the raise each time.

The letter, signed by Rochester attorney James C. Ohly complete with 49 pages of supporting documentation, notes the AFSCME advertisement is filled with false information and campaign finance abuses. AFSCME, Walz's top contributor, is spending more than $90,000 in an attempt to unseat Gutknecht, who has won each of the past three elections by wide margins.

"Tim Walz has spent the last two years attacking Congressman Gutknecht. We aren't surprised that his misleading attacks continue," said Anderson.

Gutknecht was first elected in 1994. He is a member of the House Agriculture, Government Reform and Science Committees. He serves as chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Dairy, Nutrition, and Forestry.