Charges of impropriety between independent gubernatorial candidate Rep. Barbara Merrill and the Maine Democratic Party escalated this week with Democrats saying Merrill schemed with Republicans to get Clean Elections funding.

Merrill, in turn, is asking for an ethics commission investigation into an alleged push poll she said was used against her.

Democratic Party Chairman Ben Dudley released a list of 45 Republican legislators he said donated $5 checks to the Merrill campaign so she could qualify for up to $1.2 million in Clean Elections funding in her bid for governor.

“There’s certainly the appearance of gaming the Clean Elections system,” Dudley said, alleging Republicans wanted Merrill in the race to increase competition in the election and “try to bring the incumbent down.”

A cross check of the list against records provided by the ethics commission showed at least 36 Republican legislators did give to Merrill, who like other candidates had to collect 2,500 $5 checks to be eligible for public funding. The list from the ethics commission was incomplete because it stopped counting after reaching the required number. Merrill ultimately handed in 2,688 checks.

Sen. Chandler Woodcock, the Republican candidate in the race, called the Democratic charges a “non-story.”

“I think it would be a very poor Clean Election Act if an independent couldn’t receive Republican and Democratic contributions,” he said. “I think it’s ridiculous.”

Dudley’s allegation came on top of one he made Monday, asking for an ethics investigation into Merrill and Woodcock giving each other $5 checks so they could both get public funding. Merrill’s husband also gave Woodcock a check and then Seth Woodcock and Woodcock’s campaign manager, Chris Jackson, then contributed to Merrill, Dudley said.

The Maine Democratic Party is characterizing it as a “quid pro quo scheme,” claiming Merrill and Woodcock gave the checks expecting something valuable in return, which is against the election law.

Merrill, holding a press conference at the ethics commission offices, called the charges “baloney, plain and simple.”

She is asking the commission to look into what she’s calling a push poll paid for by the Maine Democratic Party where questions were asked about her, Woodcock and Green Party candidate Pat LaMarche. She said the pollsters implied her husband, Phil Merrill, a former Democratic operative and candidate for governor himself was calling the shots in her campaign.

“They’re suggesting I’m not capable of independent thought,” Merrill said. “It’s high time John Baldacci and the boys in the Democratic Party realized I’m capable of running for governor and capable of being governor.”

Dudley said the party did pay for a poll, but it was not a push poll designed to influence voters with negative comments about Baldacci’s opponents.

“It tested the positives and weaknesses of the candidates,” he said, including Baldacci.