The following editorial originally appeared in The Seattle Times:
Attorney General Bob Ferguson did the right thing in deciding to follow a new state rule about disclosing donor names when shifting their contributions from one campaign fund to another.
In this case, Ferguson wisely had a change of heart after defending his decision not to disclose the names of donors who gave $1.2 million to his past attorney general campaigns that he had transferred to his gubernatorial campaign.
Ferguson, in his third attorney general term, transferred the money in April and May, just before the Public Disclosure Commission was expected to close the loophole that allowed anonymous transfers of leftover donations.
Candidates had been able to transfer leftover funds into a campaign for a different office with permission from each donor. Under the Public Disclosure Commission’s new guidance adopted May 11, candidates must also disclose the names of the donors.
If the names of donors could remain secret, it would allow donors to potentially give the maximum $2,400 contribution twice for the same race. Of the $1.2 million, his campaign transferred about $89,000 back to his surplus account.
When politics and dollars mix, transparency is paramount.
With the new voluntary filings, Ferguson’s campaign requested a commission complaint about the action be dismissed. He should be commended for his decision.
Ferguson is not the only politician to beat the clock in making the transfer before the name disclosure was clarified. State Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, transferred $74,000 just before the commission changed the rules in her bid to become the next attorney general. She made her donors’ names public several weeks ago.
Neither candidate violated the law in funding their new campaigns. Ferguson’s gubernatorial campaign has raised more money than all of his opponents combined, Republicans and Democrats. The contest to become the next governor has yet to heat up.
His voluntary action to make public the names of his previous donors sets the tone for openness and fairness in the race and beyond.
