LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - State regulators on Tuesday ordered the Nebraska Republican Party to temporarily halt robocalls aimed at a GOP candidate who is challenging one of the party's incumbent state lawmakers.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission issued the complaint against the state GOP and one of its contractors, Remington Research Group of Kansas City, Missouri.
The complaint alleges that the groups made robocalls without disclosing the phone number and address of the person operating the auto-dialing service, as required by state law. It also contends that neither group registered with the commission or filed a script of the call, as required.
The complaint came after legislative candidate Janet Palmtag filed a complaint with the commission last week, alleging that the GOP aired ads falsely claiming that she was lying about her endorsements.
Palmtag is looking to unseat fellow Republican state Sen. Julie Slama, to represent Legislative District 1 in southeast Nebraska. The officially nonpartisan race has turned unusually nasty.
Slama was appointed to the seat by Gov. Pete Ricketts in 2018, and is endorsed by the governor. Palmtag has won endorsements from other Republicans, including former Gov. Dave Heineman.