Topeka ? The Kansas Republican Party intends to file a complaint with the state ethics commission alleging illegal cooperation between Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Holland and a new political action committee, the group’s attorney said Thursday.

Clay Barker, general counsel for the state GOP, said the complaint about the Holland campaign and the Kansas Moderate Majority Committee would be lodged Friday with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.

“Once they see the complaint, they may think twice about following this course of action,” Barker said.

Holland faces Republican U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback in the November general election.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the complaint, which alleges that the PAC and Holland’s campaign improperly cooperated over television ads by the PAC attacking Brownback, which began airing Wednesday evening.

Under Kansas law, if a PAC and a campaign coordinate their activities, the PAC is limited to spending $2,000. If there is no coordination, the PAC can spend an unlimited amount of money. The complaint alleges that the ads cost the PAC far more than $2,000.

Holland’s campaign has denied any cooperation with the PAC in producing the ads and said it was unaware they would begin airing this week.

“We have nothing to do with this, so I don’t know what more I can say,” said Holland spokesman Seth Bundy.

The commercial attacks Brownback’s support of the fair tax, which would eliminate the federal income tax and move to a national sales tax. The ad suggest that would reduce taxes for the wealthy and raise taxes for everyone else.

Sherriene Jones-Sontag, a spokeswoman for the Brownback campaign, declined to comment about the planned ethics complaint.

Named along with the Holland campaign in the complaint is Frances Graves, the PAC’s treasurer, who was a consultant for Holland early in his campaign and a former state Democratic Party staff member. Graves did not return a telephone call and e-mail message seeking comment about the complaint.

The complaint also said the Holland campaign and Kansas Moderate Majority use the same media company, Media Research and Strategies.

Democrats have long suggested that Brownback has benefited from campaign-related activities by conservative groups. After his first U.S. Senate race in 1996, they forced investigations into contributions that came to him through a Washington-based consulting firm, Triad Management Services. In 2002, the Federal Election Commission required Brownback to turn over $19,000 in over-the-limit contributions linked to Triad.

Barker said he didn’t know how quickly the ethics commission would act. It typically assigns complaints to subcommittee to investigate. Barker said it could be after the election before the matter is resolved.