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PAC claims Lampson opponent engaged in voter fraud |
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By Jared Allen
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Posted: 10/14/08 06:52 PM [ET] |
A Texas Democratic PAC on Tuesday charged into one of the most contested House races in the country, filing a formal complaint of voter fraud against Republican Pete Olson, who is looking to oust freshman Democratic Rep. Nick Lampson.
The Lone Star Project, run by former Martin Frost aide Matt Angle, filed a formal complaint with Fairfax County, Va., prosecutors alleging that Olson voted twice in Connecticut after registering to vote in Virginia, and requesting an investigation into felony voter fraud.
Amy Goldstein, an Olson spokeswoman, could not be reached for comment at press time. But in various media reports the campaign denied the charges, saying that the “Peter G. Olson” who apparently voted in two special elections in Connecticut was not “candidate Olson.”
Because the district still leans Republican, Lampson is a top target for the GOP. Republican leaders are hoping that an Olson victory could be one of just a few seats they take back from Democrats.
The Lone Star Project played a key role in exposing former Republican Rep. Tom Delay. The criminal conspiracy indictment resulted in Delay having to step down from his position as Republican leader before he eventually resigned his seat in June 2006.
The Lone Star Project makes no secret its political leanings. Olson’s camp has refuted claims brought by the group as purely partisan.
But the group claims to have obtained documents showing that Olson voted in both Virginia and Connecticut in 2003. Olson served as the top aide to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in Washington before moving to Sugarland, Texas, and declaring his Congressional candidacy. He had previously claimed residence at his parents’ home in Newton, Conn., and voted in Newton both before and after registering and voting in Virginia, The Lone Star Projects claims.
“Olson is asking voters to believe that someone stole his identity in order to illegally vote in one Connecticut special election in the small village of Newton,” the Lone Star Project release read. “Or, Olson wants voters to buy the notion that he has a virtual twin who just happened to [wander] into the real Pete Olson’s former hometown in order to cast a vote.”
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