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Owens ad aimed at Love includes facts, fudging and fiction

Posted at 5:39 PM, Sep 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-30 18:26:19-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- Doug Owens' campaign for Utah's 4th Congressional District accuses incumbent Republican Mia Love of abusing taxpayer dollars by spending too much on mailers and travel.

In a Fox 13 fact check, we found that the ad is only partially accurate.

Fact:

It's true that Love's Congressional office spends well above the average amount on mailers sent to her constituents. You can compare her $302,000 to the average in Congress, which is $93,000.

Fudging the Truth:

That said, the mailing is legal. Members of Congress have to submit mailers to a bipartisan commission. The commission has strict rules on what can be included, barring any mention of elections, disagreements with competitors, and limiting the number of times a candidate can be mentioned.

It's fair to critique the choice to spend money on mailers and to say that they give incumbents an unfair advantage, but the mailers themselves have been vetted for overtly political content.

Fiction:

The ad says Love "spent taxpayer dollars on luxury travel" to a "posh D.C. party."

Love traveled to a posh D.C. party, but it's clear from the record that she paid coach.

A newspaper item with no named sources says Love sat in first class, which is possible if she got a free upgrade, but she didn't pay for first class.