Tennessee- The campaign of Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Bob Corker is calling on Democratic opponent Harold Ford Jr. to explain how he collected $3,600 in campaign contributions from representatives of the adult entertainment industry.
“It seems reasonable for Congressman Ford to explain how he ended up with all these contributions, particularly since they appear to have resulted from his organized effort to raise money from Hollywood,” Corker campaign manager Ben Mitchell said.
Ford campaign spokeswoman Carol Andrews said the campaign has returned the $3,600.
“Once we learned of the contributions, we returned them as they don’t meet our standards and are not in tune with Tennessee values,” Ms. Andrews said in a statement.
According to Federal Election Commission documents, the Ford campaign received:
* $1,000 from Playboy Entertainment Chairman Christie Hefner.
* $1,000 from William Asher of Vivid Entertainment, an adult film business.
* $500 each from Marc Greenberg and Richard Goldberg of MRG Entertainment, a film distribution and production company.
* $300 from David Bursteen of New City Releasing, a film distribution and production company.
* $300 from Camila Ipinza of LFP Broadcasting, an adult entertainment company.
Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Bob Davis said the case “just shows you the kind of judgment the (Ford) campaign’s been making in regard to where their contributions are coming from.”
Mr. Davis said people from places such as Los Angeles, where several of these donors are based, do not share the same values as Tennesseans.
Mark Brown, spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party, said Ford campaign officials acted appropriately once they learned of the contributions.
“Campaigns receive thousands of contributions, and when you get some that come from people with whom you don’t agree, you give them back,” he said.
Meanwhile, FEC documents show that the Corker campaign has received $2,100 from Smyrna, Tenn., resident Jon Yarbrough, president of Video Gaming Technologies. The company produces gambling machines, according to its Web site.
“There’s a big difference between a Tennessee manufacturer and the industry that had given the donations to Congressman Ford,” Mr. Mitchell said.
Mr. Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor, and Rep. Ford, a Memphis congressman, are running for the seat held by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., who is not seeking re-election.