On Wednesday, I noted that Governor Christine Gregoire was so excited about 3rd District congressional candidate Denny Heck that she'd sent out a fundraising pitch on his behalf.

Today the state's Public Disclosure Commission, via the Associated Press, says that Gregoire's fundraising e-mail broke the law:

In the e-mail, Gregoire asked her supporters to "take a moment right now to join the campaign by making a donation," with a Web link to the donation page on Heck's campaign Web site.

State law, however, bans elected officials from raising money for most political candidates during the annual legislative session. The blackout period, known as the "session freeze," starts 30 days before the Legislature convenes and continues until lawmakers adjourn for the year.

In response to questions from The Associated Press, state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) spokeswoman Lori Anderson said Gregoire's sales pitch for Heck would fall under that freeze.

"We don't think that anyone subject to the freeze should be fundraising for other federal candidates, and we'll work with the incumbents to make that clear to them," Anderson said.

State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, who signed the e-mail along with Gregoire, also should not be soliciting donations for a candidate, Anderson said. It was unclear whether the agency would pursue any sanctions against either official.

Oops. A Gregoire spokesman claims the e-mail was legal, but still: not the kind of campaign kickoff Heck was hoping for, I'm sure.