A group called Grow Connecticut recently paid $193,000 to produce a television ad targeting incumbent democratic governor Dannel Malloy. The conservative super PAC made the ad buy on the same day the state’s Republican Party filed a complaint against the Governor’s campaign and Connecticut Forward, a similar group, for illegal coordination.

Connecticut Forward, created and funded by the Democratic Governor’s Association, has also paid over $100,000 in support of Governor Malloy. The recent activity by these two groups brings to light the influence of outside groups on publicly funded campaigns.

Both Governor Malloy and the Republican nominee, Tom Foley, are participants in the Citizen’s Election Program, which caps their campaign funds to a $6.5 million grant from taxpayers. The program was created in an attempt to insulate state campaigns from special interest groups. Groups like Grow Connecticut, however, are allowed unlimited independent expenditures, increasing the call for greater transparency through disclosure to the voters.