Spending and ads ramp up ahead of Washington's August primary
The Washington state primaries are two and a half weeks away, and outside spending is starting to ratchet up in the race for Southwest Washington's 3rd Congressional District.
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Commercial voiceover: "Heidi St. John. She's the real deal. Protecting life..." states an ad for St. John that hits airwaves this week.
The ad supports Christian podcaster and public speaker Heidi St. John, but she didn't pay for it. A group called Conservatives for A Stronger America is spending about $740,000 on TV and radio to back the candidate.
With Washington's August 2 primaries right around the corner, outside money is arriving, too.
Just since May, groups have raised more than $130,000 to support incumbent Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, and spent almost $100,000 against Trump-endorsed candidate Joe Kent.
Kent has accused the recent spending spree for St. John of being an indirect support for Herrera Beutler. He says the goal is to split the district's staunchest Conservatives.
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