IR State Bureau - 01/06/03

HELENA - Republican governor candidate Bob Brown's campaign on Monday called on GOP rival Pat Davison to stop his practice of taking large donations from minors.

Brown's running mate, Rep. Dave Lewis of Helena, noted in Davison's third-quarter campaign finance report, Davison reported collecting $4,100 from 11 children listing their occupations as students for an average of $377 each. That's $23 less than the $400 maximum donation per individual that was in place at the time.

Lewis said three of the donations totaling $1,200 came from students out of state and nine donations totaling $3,200 were made by in-state students living at the same address as their parents. Only one of the nine students living at home is listed as a registered voter.

A father and grandfather, Lewis said he couldn't imagine many teenagers willingly parting with that much money to back a political candidate.

He speculated the Davison campaign was encouraging its major donors to circumvent Montana's contribution limits by giving additional money through their children.

In response, Davison's campaign manager, Scot Crockett said, "We are thrilled to have the support of so many young Montanans. Frankly, I am a little bit surprised that Bob Brown, who's spending tens of thousands of dollars of public money on ads encouraging people to participate in the democratic process, would question these young students' involvement in the process."