Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, District 3, filed an election complaint today against her opponent, Republican Tanner Bell, alleging illegal coordination with with two independent expenditure committees, “Arizonans for a Brighter Future” and “Restoring Pride in Pima County,” and Tagline Media. Bell has denied the claims calling them “baseless.”
Bronson filed the complaint with the Arizona Secretary of State against the Bell campaign and two independent groups that Bronson claims are “attempting to illegally influence this election.” The complaint details an alleged illegal coordination between the outside groups and the Bell campaign, as well as numerous other election law violations.
Tanner Bell denied the charges and responded to reports of the complaint; “I have received no communication regarding the complaint from either Pima County or the State of Arizona. My goal is, and always has been, to win my election and change the direction of Pima County. I continue to be energized by the voters in District 3.”
Bell, a former football player with the University of Arizona, is a first-time candidate. Bronson has described Bell in commercials as a “nice young man who fell in with a shady group” in commercials referring to the ‘dark money’ expenditures.
Advertising agency Tagline Media handled the Tanner Bell campaign but then reportedly terminated those services to work for two pro-Tanner Bell groups, “Arizonans for a Brighter Future” and “Restoring Pride in Pima County,” in violation of state law prohibiting coordination between candidate campaigns and independent committees.
The complaint also details numerous other violations, including an unlawful extension of credit from Tagline Media to the Bell campaign, Arizonans for a Brighter Future’s status as a business advocacy group, and Arizonans for a Brighter Future’s “unregistered and deceptive fundraising.”
“This action by Sharon Bronson is politically motivated and nothing more than a last ditch effort to shift the discussion away from her failed policies and sixteen year record of dismal job creation, resulting in 16% unemployment in her district and crumbling roads,” said Bell in his statement released on Friday.