Ruling may favor (Mike) McGavick (in Washington Senate race)

[TechBear_Seattle]

A proposed Federal Election Commission ruling says Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike McGavick can contribute $2 million to his own cash-strapped campaign without giving Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell a commensurate fundraising boost.

If the commission adopts the proposed opinion issued by its staff this week, McGavick's hefty self-contribution, an Aug. 11 loan, wouldn't trigger the "Millionaire's Amendment" in the federal Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002. The commission will act on the recommendation Tuesday.

The millionaire's provision is intended to let candidates match the fundraising of wealthy, self-financing opponents. Were it to apply, it would allow Cantwell to ask supporters to donate as much as six times the normal individual contribution limit of $2,100 for the primary and $2,100 for the general election -- in other words, a total of $25,200 per person.

The Cantwell 2006 campaign asked for the FEC opinion for fear that McGavick, the multimillionaire former chief executive of Seattle-based Safeco Corp., would pour his own money into his campaign, which lags well behind Cantwell's in fundraising.

The story continues http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/282370_mcgavick24.html

The question of whether the extremely generous severance package he received from his former employer, Safeco Insurance, amounts to an illegal campaign contribution does not appear to have been addressed. That money is the subject of several pending lawsuits.