The lingering hostilities between Republicans Wright McLeod and Rick Allen, once bitter rivals in last year’s GOP bout to challenge Rep. John Barrow, reached a level of combativeness this week rarely seen outside general election contests, and rarer still one when man is likely to represent the pair’s party next year in what is expected to be among the most competitive House races in the nation.
Allen, the prohibitive frontrunner in the GOP race to square off with Barrow, accused McLeod’s campaign of violating federal election law by inaccurately reporting expenditures and stealing donor information from rival campaigns.
The accusations of impropriety dogged McLeod’s bid. He ultimately placed third in balloting, leaving Allen and Lee Anderson, the eventual nominee, to compete for the nod in a competitive runoff.
But officials at the Federal Election Commission on Monday closed the books on its investigation into McLeod’s campaign, dismissing in total the alleged violations filed by Allen.
In an indignant statement to reporters, McLeod blamed Allen for inciting a “circular firing squad” that secured reelection for Barrow. In the entire 200-word statement, Allen’s name is thrice invoked and implied elsewhere a fourth.
“This was an unnecessary and expensive legal fight in which the ethical allegations crossed the line, eve by today’s standards,” McLeod said in a statement provided to Tipsheet. “Instead of debating the issues, it became a fight over my integrity. The result, I was forced to defend my character, and the Republican primary became a circular firing squad that caused the people of GA-12 to lose and John Barrow to win.”
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