J. William W. Harsch, the Republican candidate for attorney general, yesterday sent a complaint to the state Board of Elections, accusing Democratic Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch of failing to fully report employment and/or address information for about 43 percent of those who have contributed to his campaign since 2003.

Harsch accused Lynch of “grossly ignoring Rhode Island campaign finance laws,” saying Lynch obscured the identity of donors such as an executive at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco USA and a lawyer who has represented Anheuser Busch.

Harsch noted that, before becoming attorney general, Lynch worked for a law firm and did State House lobbying on behalf of clients that included R.J. Reynolds and Anheuser Busch. And Harsch said, “The bottom line is Rhode Island needs an attorney general, not another lobbyist. It’s time that Patrick Lynch severs his ties from his former employers, or be prepared to go back to work for them after his current employers — the people of Rhode Island — fire him on November 7.”

Lynch’s campaign issued a statement in response, saying, “My opponent’s own inability to follow campaign finance laws, by making excessive loans to his campaign, resulted in his withdrawal from the matching-funds program. Given that fact and the fact that every campaign report is missing some data, including my opponent’s campaign, it is ironic that he has chosen this topic to attack me.”

Lynch said it’s “humbling” that thousands of people have donated to his campaign since 2003. “We’ve recorded every contribution that we’ve received and comply with every applicable campaign-finance law,” he said. “My opponent’s latest attack is just a desperate attempt to bring life to his stagnant campaign in the last 21 days.”

Harsch cited a state law requiring that campaign-finance reports contain the name, address and place of employment of each person or source that contributes more than $100. Harsch’s campaign coordinator, Tom Shevlin, said Lynch’s campaign omitted employer and/or address information for 922 contributions dating to January 2003.

“For over three years, Mr. Lynch has systematically subverted Rhode Island campaign finance law by failing to report a disturbing amount of contributor information,” Harsch stated. “But what is more damning is that it appears Mr. Lynch is guilty of more than just sloppy accounting. Rather, it appears he has consciously engaged in a deliberate campaign to cover up special interest contributions.”

Harsch’s statement mentioned some donors by name, saying Lynch’s campaign failed to disclose their employers but that Harsch’s campaign researched their backgrounds. “If it wasn’t for our crack research staff, we wouldn’t know who was contributing to Patrick’s campaign,” Shevlin said.

For example, Harsch identified:

•Charles A. Blixt, who donated $250 to Lynch in December 2005, as general counsel/executive vice president of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco.

•J. Russell Jackson, who donated $1,000 in December 2005, as a lawyer who has represented Anheuser Busch as a partner in the Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom law firm.

•Peter H. Cressy, who donated $250 in December 2005, as president and CEO of The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, an industry advocacy group.

•Brennan Dawson, who donated $250 in December 2005, as senior vice president of The Tobacco Institute, which represents major cigarette manufacturers in the United States.

Harsch said Lynch did not need to accept money “from the oil, gas and electric industry or individuals who have sought to market alcohol and tobacco products from our children. But he has. And what’s worse, he has tried to hide it from the people of Rhode Island while we suffer under skyrocketing utility bills and continually rank among the worst states in drunk driving statistics.”