Anti-Manweller independent expenditures skyrocket

SEATTLE — The political action committee Enough is Enough has raised roughly $120,000 to spend on independent expenditures against Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Cle Elum, flipping the balance of campaign spending between Manweller and his Democratic opponent Sylvia Hammond.

The attack ads focus on a litany of sexual misconduct accusations against Manweller that have cost the lawmaker support from party leadership and his job as a tenured professor. Following the most recent accusation of statutory rape by a former high school student of Manweller’s, detailed in a report from the Northwest News Network’s Austin Jenkins, state House Republican leadership called on Manweller to resign.

The Enough is Enough PAC is a Washington state group separate from but similar to a broader national PAC of the same name, spearheaded by Stanford University Professor of Law Michele Dauber and former state legislative staffer Jessica Gavre. Dauber said the broader goal for both groups is the same: to make violence against women a voting issue and to raise awareness about credible allegations of sexual misconduct against public officials.

Dauber garnered national prominence after she led the efforts to recall the judge who sentenced Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to six months in prison for attempted rape, as opposed to the six years called for by the prosecution. Gavre has also previously received state media attention for her previous efforts to unseat Tacoma Democrat David Sawyer, whom Gavre had accused of sexual misconduct.

The Enough is Enough PAC announced its campaign against Manweller the same day that state House Republican leadership called for the lawmaker’s resignation, but Dauber warned at the time that the campaign would go forward if Manweller did not immediately resign.

Several days later, Manweller declined to resign unless re-elected, and the Enough is Enough PAC has steadily spent tens of thousands of dollars on mailers and online advertisements. As of Wednesday, the committee had spent around $58,000 against Manweller, according to PDC filings.

“We’re continuing our campaign to inform voters about Matt Manweller’s record of sexual misconduct and to urge them to vote against him in order to send a message that that behavior is unacceptable from elected officials,” Dauber said. “He could have just simply resigned and that’s what he should have done.”

By itself, this level of expenditure has tipped the campaign finance landscape in Hammond’s favor. As of Wednesday, Hammond had raised just under $100,000, compared to Manweller’s roughly $165,000 in campaign funds. Enough is Enough PAC’s funds have been spent and classified as independent expenditures and are not tallied in the campaign contributions of Hammond, but still represent a significant boost to Hammond’s bid for the legislature.

But the PAC has raised around $120,000 in total, according to PDC filings, and Dauber said the group plans to spend every dollar before the election. That level of expenditure would tip campaign financing in Hammond’s favor for the first time since she announced her candidacy.

Dauber remains skeptical of Manweller’s promise to resign if re-elected and said the lawmaker may try to remain in office.

“Given that he’s remained on the ballot it seems not impossible to me that he would say, ‘well the voters were fully informed about this and the voters have spoken,’” Dauber said.