Three former Progressive candidates for lieutenant governor have joined a suit filed by Dean Corren to block campaign finance penalties pursued by Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell, according to court filings.
Sorrell has alleged that Corren violated campaign finance laws. The Vermont Attorney General maintains that an email blast from the Vermont Democratic Party constituted an in-kind contribution of $255 and was not reported by his campaign. Corren ultimately lost by a wide margin to Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott.
Corren, who qualified for public financing, was not supposed to solicit further contributions. He faces up to $72,000 in potential fines for the alleged violations.
Once he was aware of the charges Sorrell intended to file, Corren brought suit in federal court in an effort to preempt the attorney general from enforcing a campaign finance violation against him.
Marjorie Powers, a Montpelier attorney, Richard Kemp, a former Burlington city councilor, and Steve Hingtgen, former state representative and current member of the Montpelier school board, are the three former Progressive lieutenant governor candidates who will add their names to Corren’s suit.
The Progressive Party has joined the suit as well.
John Franco, Corren’s attorney, said in an email that the former candidates wanted to “underscore that the constitutional rights being violated involve more than those of Dean Corren, but also the rights of others, including themselves.”
Their purpose is also to “ensure that all the constitutional violations at issue are reviewed, are reviewed by the Federal Court, and are redressed by declaratory and injunctive relief,” Franco added.
The two sides are currently fighting over whether the case will be heard in state or federal court.
