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Utah Republicans have taken their first swipe at Democrat Doug Owens in what is expected to be a combative 4th Congressional District race — and it was focused on the actions of his late father.
The state party sent a fundraising email Wednesday that highlighted a 1992 House banking scandal that embarrassed then-Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah.
Doug Owens, the Democratic candidate challenging Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, considers the criticism out of bounds.
"I'm disappointed," Owens said. "Attacking someone who isn't here to defend himself is the worst kind of politics."
But Utah Republican Party Chairman James Evans defended the line of attack.
"It is unacceptable to me that he has to rely on his dad to try to win this office," Evans said. "Why don't you run on your own merits?"
The Love-Owens contest is considered a "tossup" by national political handicappers, and each candidate is stockpiling money for a major media blitz this fall.
Evans, who said he is "very focused" on the 4th District race, gave the Love campaign a heads-up on the tactic Wednesday.
"He keeps talking about his father. He is the one who brought it up," said Love's campaign strategist Dave Hansen. "I don't have a problem with the party doing what it did."
The GOP email keys on Owens' recent "Accountability and Ethics Reform Plan," which essentially calls for a law blocking lawmakers from getting paid if they can't pass a budget, resulting in a government shutdown.
In announcing that plan, Owens released a statement that said: "My parents raised me to put public service and giving back ahead of personal gain."
The Republican email said: "Really, Doug?" and included a picture of a check from Wayne Owens stamped "Returned nonsufficient funds."
He was among dozens of lawmakers who regularly wrote checks for more than he had in his account in the taxpayer-supported bank.
The FBI eventually gave Owens a letter saying his actions, including over-drafting 87 times, were not criminal in nature. But the incident was politically damaging.
On Thursday, the Owens camp responded with its own email to supporters sent under the name of Cynthia Owens, Doug's wife, calling the criticism "vicious personal attacks."
It noted Republicans have promised to be more critical of Owens than they were during the 2014 campaign, which Love won by 5 percentage points.
"But I was still surprised by how low they were willing to go," she wrote.