While the Maine political world was having fun with a legislative candidate who lives an active fantasy life in the online game “World of Warcraft,” another legislative candidate has been charged with something much less funny.

Senate District 25 Democratic candidate Colleen Lachowicz, a social worker in real life, goes by the name “Santiaga” in the game and has written things (like “I love poisoning and stabbing. It is fun!”) that in another context would be the sign of an unhinged mind. But it wasn’t in another context, and in the context of the game it is no more meaningful than a baseball player saying he “knocked out” a pitcher or a quarterback saying he “threw a bomb.”

But in Senate District 32, Republican incumbent Nichi Farnham is accused of being the beneficiary of $73,000 in negative ads against her opponent from a political action committee that Farnham controls. The problem is that as a Clean Election candidate, she is not permitted to raise outside funds for her campaign. Democrats have filed a formal complaint and are preparing to ask the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to hold an immediate hearing on the issue. Out of fairness to the Democrats, Farnham and the people of the district, it’s the only fair thing to do.

Due to an unfortunate loophole in the Clean Election Act, Farnham is allowed to raise money through a leadership PAC, even though as a publicly funded candidate, she is not supposed to spend it on her own race. Republican officials say she had no knowledge of the expenditure, but the PAC’s filing identifies her as one of two “primary fundraisers and decision makers.”

If Farnham did nothing wrong, the commission should say so, sooner rather than later. If she did violate the law, District 32 voters should know as soon as possible. The commission should hear this complaint immediately and give the Maine political world something serious to talk about.

 

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