Fisher complains about fundraising firm

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:11:48 -0400

A former Republican Congressional candidate says a fundraising firm cheated her.

Dr. Ada Fisher, a Salisbury doctor who ran unsuccessfully against U.S. Rep. Mel Watt in 2006, told the liberal Web site Talking Points Memo that Washington-based BMW Direct sent her checks too late and kept much of the money.

"They sort of — what shall I say? — screwed me," she told the Web site.

According to the piece, BMW Direct raised more than $400,000 for Fisher during the election cycle, but only about $30,000 made it back to her for use in her campaign. But she said she did not know then that many of the key vendors were run by BMW employees.

"They make it seem like each of these people is a private entity. But as you listen more and more and you get smarter, you realize they all work together," she told the site.

A spokesman for BMW told the Web site that Fisher's case was unique because she started late, but he argued that the direct-mail effort still helped build name recognition. In June, Fisher was chosen for a North Carolina seat on the Republican National Committee.

In recent days, Talking Points Memo has been investigating the firm's fundraising for longshot candidates.