A Michigan political advocacy group that supports school choice has jumped into a hotly contested House race in Northeast Richland.

The group, All Children Matter, is running radio ads and has sent out a mailing supporting Joan Brady in the race for House District 78.

Brady is in a runoff against fellow Republican county Councilwoman Susan Brill. The winner will face Democrat Todd Specter in the general election.

The group, which has not been involved in South Carolina before this year, has been involved in five other legislative primaries.

“This was an introduction to our group,” said J. Sam Daniels, a Charlotte-based senior political advisor for the group. “In the general election, we’ll get more involved.”

All Children Matter, based in Grand Rapids, Mi., gives direct and indirect contributions to candidates the group says support school choice programs, such as charter schools, vouchers and tax credits.

But school officials and other candidates say the group’s ads and mailings are misleading.

The radio ad and the mailing urge voters to support Brady because she signed The Americans for Tax Reform pledge to oppose all tax increases.

Neither the ad nor the mailing mentions school choice.

“If you are an organization that is so ashamed of your agenda that you have to result to subterfuge to get your candidate elected, then shame on you,” said Richland 2 school board member Mike Montgomery.

Montgomery, who supports Brady, said he was concerned when he heard the radio ads because he says vouchers and other similar programs would take money from public schools.

But Montgomery said Brady reassured him she has not made any commitment to support school choice.

Montgomery, who is running for Brady’s vacant County Council seat this fall, said his support for Brady hinges on her position on the issue.

Brady said she knows little about the group and did not know about the radio ads until she got phone calls about them earlier this week.

“They chose me. I did not choose them,” Brady said.

Brady said she would not support any legislation that would hurt public education.

“My stand is to be open-minded, but that’s as far as I can go,” Brady said. “I have to have the assurances that it is not going to drain needed funds from public school funding.”

Brill said she does not support school choice options, such as vouchers or tax credits.

“I’m standing with the folks in our school district who say this is not good for us, “ she said.

Daniels said the group focused on the no-tax pledge because voters are focusing on it.

“It’s a basic campaign strategy,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is to get Joan Brady elected.”

Daniels said All Children Matter selected candidates based on a their responses to a questionnaire mailed to all candidates.

Brady said she has filled out many surveys and does not remember this one. Brill said she did not fill the survey out.

All Children Matter also paid for radio ads and sent out mailings in support of Ken Wingate, who defeated Barney Giese in the primary for Senate District 22. Wingate faces Democrat Joel Lourie in the general election. The group is likely to get involved in that race., Daniels said.

It also gave $1,000 to state House Majority Leader Rick Quinn, who lost to Nathan Ballentine.

Reach Hill at (803) 771-8462 or sehill@thestate.com.