11:35 AM PST on Wednesday, February 25, 2004

By BRAD CAIN, Associated Press Writer

SALEM -- Congressional contender Jim Zupancic has filed a federal election complaint against his GOP rival, state Sen. Jackie Winters, alleging she illegally spent money on a newspaper insert.

Zupancic's complaint with the Federal Election Commission asserts that Winters violated campaign finance laws by using money from her state legislative campaign fund to promote her congressional candidacy.

But Winters' campaign called the complaint frivolous. It said the newspaper insert was an "end-of-session report" that dealt with the actions of the 2003 Legislature, not with Winters' bid for Congress.

Zupancic and Winters are competing for the Republican nomination in the May 18 primary for the chance to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley in the November general election.

Winters paid to have her post-session report inserted into copies of The (Salem) Statesman Journal newspaper in mid-October, a few weeks after she announced she was running for the 5th District congressional seat.

Zupancic, a Lake Oswego lawyer, said Winters violated the federal law's prohibition against "soft money" by using money from her state campaign committee to promote her candidacy for Congress.

That's because Winters' state committee received money from corporations which under federal law are barred from making donations to congressional candidates, he said.

"All of the candidates need to play by the same rules," he said. "She is using money outside the federal limits."

Further, he said, the expenditure for the newspaper ad was not listed in Winters' quarterly campaign finance report that she filed with the Federal Elections Commission in late January.

Winters' campaign manager, Darryl Howard, said the Salem Republican didn't list it because it had no connection with the congressional campaign.

"She had it delivered to her constituents as an end-of-session wrapup on the Legislature, which every lawmaker does," Howard said, adding that the brochure contains no mention of Winters running for Congress.

Howard also said he had "no idea" how much Winters spent to have her report inserted into the newspaper.