WSU tells McMorris Rodgers to stop using ‘Go Cougs’ in campaign fliers

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers has been asked by Washington State University to stop using the school’s trademarked catchphrase as part of her campaign, according to The Daily Evergreen.

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McMorris Rodgers had the trademarked “Go Cougs” phrase printed on campaign flyers distributed at WSU home football games. Representing a district that’s home to over 40,000 college students, it might be an important voter demographic to target.

Most significantly, the 5th Congressional District includes two WSU campuses, Eastern Washington University, Whitworth University, and Gonzaga University, among others.

The Congress member is an alumnus of Pensacola Christian College for her BA, and University of Washington for her MBA. She later taught at Eastern Washington University.

McMorris Rodgers’ campaign originally thought using the phrase was fine as long as there wasn’t a logo.

“I’m not a copyright expert,” campaign spokesperson Jared Powell told The Daily Evergreen. “It doesn’t use their logo, it doesn’t say Washington State University anywhere.”

This isn’t the first time this election cycle that WSU has had to regulate the use of its brand in campaign materials. Just this last July, McMorris Rodgers’ Democratic opponent, Lisa Brown, was asked by the university to stop using a campaign ad that featured a man wearing a hat with a WSU logo.

According to The Daily Evergreen, the McMorris Rodgers campaign has officially agreed to cease use of the trademarked phrase.

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