GOP says Ross received unfair advantage

By Warren Cornwall
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

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The party complained to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), saying that Ross received an unfair advantage when he remained on the air at KIRO-AM after he decided to run in the Democratic primary last spring.

"Clearly you cannot allow somebody running for Congress to benefit from hundreds of thousands of dollars of free airtime," said state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance.

Ross campaign spokeswoman Dana Robinson Slote dismissed the complaint as a political maneuver. "It's old news. This was an issue that was already settled in the primary. We've complied with the law every step of the way," she said.

Ross faces Republican Dave Reichert, the King County sheriff, in the contest to represent the 8th District, which includes much of East and South King County and East Pierce County.

Ross announced he was running in late May but remained on the air until late July, when he filed official papers to run for office. Ross had promised not to discuss his candidacy during his show.

Ross said the station had assured him it was legal for him to stay on the air. Entercom, which owns KIRO, is confident it was legal to continue putting Ross on the air, said Kevin McCarthy, Entercom's top executive in Seattle.

The GOP also is complaining about KIRO's continued reference to its midmorning weekday show as the "Dave Ross Show," even though Ross is off the air, and about Ross' decision to keep producing a regular commentary aired nationwide by CBS Radio.

The party asks the FEC to refer the case to the U.S. Department of Justice for prosecution. Vance said he was not expecting a response from the FEC before the election.

Warren Cornwall: 206-464-2311

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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