Democratic congressional candidate Mark Hunt on Monday called on Congressman Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., to "stop campaigning on the taxpayers' dime," after Mooney sent out three franked fliers in the past three weeks.
"They certainly quack like pieces of political mail," Hunt said of the fliers, which were mailed using the Congressional franking privilege and include a disclaimer stating: "This mailing was prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense."
Each week for the past three weeks, Mooney has mailed out full-color fliers, two touting his efforts in support of military veterans and fighting drug abuse, and a third inviting constituents to a "2nd Amendment Town Hall" at the Poca River Hunting, Fishing and Recreation Club that featured a barbecue, and use of the club's shooting range, swimming pool and fishing ponds.
Hunt said he has evidence that the fliers have not been mailed to all constituents in the 2nd Congressional District, but that Mooney has used sophisticated micro-targeting techniques to direct the fliers to interested parties on the particular issues, as well as to registered independents and newly registered Democrats.
"There's nothing new about what he's doing," Hunt said of the targeted mailings. "It's just that it's what politicians do with our own money, not taxpayers' money."
Hunt is calling for an investigation by the House Ethics Commission, and is preparing a social media campaign to encourage 2nd Congressional District residents to call Mooney's offices to ask him to stop sending the fliers at taxpayer expense.
(Under federal law, there is a blackout period on franked mass mailings to constituents 90 days prior to elections, so the last day members of Congress could send out mailings before the Nov. 8 general election was Aug. 10.)
"We're going to ask constituents to call his office and ask him to stop his campaign on the taxpayers' dime," said Hunt, a Charleston lawyer who served 14 years in the House of Delegates.
"He's had the franking privilege for 18-19 months and not used it, and suddenly, he's franking every week," Hunt said of the timing of the fliers.
Hunt said he found particularly galling the drug abuse flier, in which Mooney touts his efforts to prevent over-prescribing of addictive opioid pain killers, since Mooney did not attend President Barack Obama's forum on opioid abuse in Charleston last October.
"He was too busy to come to Charleston when the president was in town," Hunt said.
Hunt said he believes Mooney is using the fliers because campaign finance disclosures show he's having difficulty raising campaign contributions.
"For an incumbent to only have $400,000 on hand, that's not a lot," Hunt said.
Mooney's July quarterly report to the Federal Elections Commission shows a campaign balance of $478,087.
Repeated calls to Mooney's office in Washington were not returned.
Reach Phil Kabler at philk@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1220, or follow @PhilKabler on Twitter.