Saturday, September 29, 2012

Wayne Powell campaign responds to Cantor criticism: simple oversights happen


On Wednesday, the Democratic candidate for the 7th U.S. House district, Wayne Powell, responded to Eric Cantor’s charges that the former was attempting “to keep the voters in the dark regarding his personal finances.”[1]

Cantor campaign officials criticized Wayne Powell’s failure to file his financial disclosure statement with the clerk of the U.S. House. The Cantor campaign gave reference to a fundraising report turned in to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) showing Powell raised $9,114.01 for the period ending Sept. 30, 2011.

Powell’s campaign responded by saying that the failure to file was a “simple oversight by a fresh new candidate.” The form was filed this week.

While Powell’s failure to file his financial disclosure statement cannot be excused, not every political candidate can raise nearly $6.5 million[2] to cover some of the costs associated with running a political campaign. That is, meeting all of the tasks and requirements of a political campaign on a shoe-string budget isn’t easy.

The Cantor campaign’s criticism of Powell over his financial disclosure also demonstrates Cantor’s attempts to divert discussions away from the issues themselves, like the economy, insider trading, and health care reform.

However, both candidates will debate one another next Monday on economic issues sponsored by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. It will be Cantor’s first general election debate since 2002.[3] The debate will also give Powell a great opportunity to show the 7th District that he is a better candidate, across the board.

Political power has rested in Cantor’s hands unopposed for too long, and with his “leadership” our country was almost brought to an economic disaster[4]. Unlike Cantor, Powell appears to be an individual who is willing to put the country above personal political ambition and partisan politics.

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