Engler Challenged On Fund-Raiser

LANSING, Mich. (AllPolitics, March 28) -- Gov. John Engler, one of the Republican governors mentioned as a possible running mate for Sen. Robert Dole, may have run afoul of a new campaign finance law he just signed.

Engler's Democratic opponents contend he is violating state campaign finance law by scheduling a GOP fund-raiser at his state-owned summer home on Mackinac Island.

In a letter, Engler offers a private audience with the governor on Mackinac Island to those who donate $25,000. Critics argue that the new law forbids the governor from using state-owned property under his control for political fund-raising.

"It is difficult to imagine a more 'knowing' violation of a law than its violation by the very person who signed it," state Democratic chair Mark Brewer said in a letter to the secretary of state's office. The law calls for a $2,000 fine and a year in jail for violations.

An Engler spokesman scoffed at the claim of impropriety. "Baloney," Engler spokesman John Truscott told the Associated Press. "It's not like we're holding it in a state office building. It's a weekend retreat. It's a home."

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