EVANSVILLE – Eighth District Rep. Mark Messmer used taxpayer dollars to fund a campaign-like commercial currently airing in Terre Haute, records show – even though he has hundreds of thousands of dollars in fundraising cash on hand.
According to the Federal Communications Commission’s online public inspections files, Messmer utilized “franking” money – public funds usually reserved for informative mailers sent to constituents – for a 30-second ad on Terre Haute NBC affiliate WTWO. The cost to air the commercial was redacted in the records.
The ad shows Messmer marching around his hometown of Jasper and playing his trumpet, a prop he previously used in a 2024 spot.
“Some say Mark Messmer is tooting his own horn,” the voiceover says, “but all he’s doing is spreading the news of conservative results for Southern Indiana.”
With the trumpet blasting all the while, the ad goes on to tout Messmer’s votes to “secure” the country’s southern border and “(keep) Hoosiers safe from illegal fentanyl and dangerous cartels,” as well as his support for President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” At one point, Gibson County Sheriff Bruce Vanoven incongruously walks out of the Jasper police station and waves to Messmer as he passes.
A disclaimer flashes across the bottom of the screen at the end.
“Paid for by official funds authorized by the House of Representatives,” it says – one of the three required disclaimers U.S. representatives can choose from if they use franking money for a TV spot. The WTWO purchase order in FCC records also lists “IN-08 Franking” as the product description.
On Monday, the Courier & Press reached out to a Messmer staffer and sent a message to the congressman’s personal email address asking why the office apparently paid for the spot with public funds. Both had gone unanswered as of Tuesday morning. A reporter also reached out to Vanoven, who confirmed he was in the commercial.
“Mark contacted me and asked me if I was available,” he said. “I have not seen the video and I have no knowledge how it was funded.”
The House of Representatives Communications Standards Manual lays out proper and improper uses for franking money. It states “official communications should not be used for political or personal business,” and specifically warns against “campaign content or electioneering.” Any violation of that, the manual says, would result in “disciplinary action.”
Messmer’s ad, though, could fall into a gray area. At no point does it specifically ask constituents to vote for him, and it never mentions his opponent in the November election: Democrat and current Evansville city councilor Mary Allen.
But Nick LaRowe, an associate professor of political science at the University of Southern Indiana, said despite that technicality, the message of the ad is clear.
“Distinguishing between taxpayer-funded communications with your constituents (permitted) and persuading them to vote for you (not permitted) can be hard to distinguish in practice and thus enforce,” he said. “If you are telling constituents how hard you work and all the good things you have supported, the obvious implication is they should vote for you, even if you don’t say that.”
Allen’s response to the ad, and Messmer’s current campaign haul
In a statement on Monday, Allen blasted Messmer’s dip into public money, calling it a “clear misuse of taxpayer dollars.”
“Public funds designed for constituent outreach should be used to communicate important information or official government business, not campaigning,” she stated. “What makes it even more egregious is that he has hundreds of thousands of dollars in his campaign account. If he wants to run ads boasting about his record 80-something days out from the election, he should use his campaign funds, not hard-earned tax dollars.”
According to Federal Election Commission data, Messmer’s latest campaign finance report listed $681,902 in total contributions as of June 30. Then there’s the $763,580 in contributions nestled in the Messmer Victory Fund, a political action committee tied to the congressman.
Since the cost of Messmer’s commercial is redacted, it’s unclear how much taxpayers shelled out for it. FCC records state that it’s slated to run 84 times between August and early September, all during local newscasts or airings of “The Today Show,” “Saturday Today,” “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and “Wheel of Fortune.”
Since it’s only airing on WTWO, Evansville-area constituents won’t get to see it. The Courier & Press obtained a copy from Allen spokeswoman Emily TelKoste, and the Allen campaign itself only saw the ad after someone recorded it off their television.
Its last day on air is scheduled for Sept. 2, which is 62 days before Election Day. That timing, LaRowe said, is key. The law prohibits members of Congress from using franking communications within 60 days of a general election.
The commercial represents the latest issue for Messmer, whose short tenure in the Eighth District has been marked with controversy.
The first-term congressman was a frequent no-show at debates and public events during the 2024 election, so much so that protesters at a “People’s Town Hall” in 2025 slapped his face on a fake milk carton. And that March, his office asked Boonville library workers to call the police on a crowd of mostly older constituents gathered for a mobile office hours event – a request the library employees refused.
Even though Messmer has heaps of money on hand, the decision to use taxpayer funds for a commercial could have been simple, LaRowe said.
“I don’t claim to have any insight into the decision making of the Messmer campaign. But if you could run a digital communication that is legal and functions like a campaign ad while saving money … well, why not do it?”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Records: Rep. Mark Messmer used taxpayer funds for commercial
Reporting by Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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By Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press | USA TODAY Network
