Your Campaign Donation May Be Funding a Zombie

Are you among the countless Americans who feel so passionately about the upcoming presidential election that you wrote a check to your favorite candidate? But if your candidate dropped out of the race can you get your money back?

At one time there were a whopping 29 democrats running for president . Now only twelve remain. Collectively those candidates amassed hundreds of millions of dollars in donations. Some from large contributors like corporations, some from political action committees, many from small individual contributors, maybe just like you.

Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke’s Campaign for the U.S. Senate raised almost $80 million but when he dropped out of the Presidential race in Nov 2019 the Federal Elections Commission reported O’Rourke still had some $3.2 million in cash left unused.

Senator Kamala Harris raised about $35 million in her unsuccessful presidential bid. The latest FEC filings show she’s got about $10 million stashed.

Senator Cory Booker fell out of the race earlier this month after raising more than $19 million. He still has $5 million in his campaign account. So, will any of these loser candidates give money back to disappointed donors? They can, but I doubt it.

Campaigns Urge You to DONATE! But Where’s the Money Go? – Pixaby photo

Legally, politicians who are still in office can choose to do all sorts of things with campaign contributions. They aren’t allowed to use the money for personal expenses, like mortgages, clothing or groceries, but FEC regulations state that they can simply transfer surplus funds to their Senate or House campaign coffers. Or they can donate the money to charity, give it to their party or another candidate. They are not required to give you your money back.

One really troublesome, and sometimes criminal, aspect of what happens to these leftover funds comes when a politician retires or is voted out of office. A defeated candidate can simply claim they plan to run for office again one day and keep the slush fund.  A retired politician can claim they need the money to wind down their official business, which the FEC says should take about six months. But lawmakers who have been out of office for many years have continued to tap their still-flush campaign war chests. These are called Zombie Campaigns. The campaigns are dead, the former candidate just won’t admit it.

A major investigation by the Tampa Bay Times and its affiliated TV stations across the country revealed the blatant way in which more than 100 zombie campaigns spent these leftover monies. The newspaper analyzed more than 1 million spending records and concluded that while the FEC has prosecutorial power it is a body that does little to follow up on unauthorized use of campaign reserves. And the Commission does not challenge defeated pols who conveniently leave open the possibility of another run for office.

“In their political afterlife, former politicians and their staffers are hoarding unspent campaign donations for years and using them to finance their lifestyles, advance new careers and pay family members,” the investigative article reported. “Ex-candidates spent leftover donations on airline tickets, club memberships, a limo trip, cell phones, parking and new computers. Some former lawmakers paid themselves thousands of dollars without providing any explanation for where the money went.”

One ex-pol spent $940 at a store called Total Wine. Others bought football tickets, an expensive portrait and tens of thousands of dollars were spent on questionable travel.  In Hawaii, the campaign treasurer for Rep. Mark Takai paid his own consulting firm $100,000 for 18 months — after the candidate had died.  New York  Rep. Thomas Manton retired in 1999 and died in 2006 yet his treasurer drew a salary until 2008.

And, there’s one more way your political donation can end up in a place you never intended. The Tampa Bay Times investigation discovered 51 of the zombie candidates became lobbyists and donated almost $4.5 million dollars of their slush fund monies to friendly politicos and causes.

These are the dirty little secrets of what happens to multiple millions of dollars in campaign donations. The only way this insidious practice changes is if Congress sets a time limit for how long zombie campaigns can live. Think Congress will restrict the actions of its outgoing members?  Highly unlikely, so remember that when making a political donation.

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6 Comments

  1. Diane Dimond on January 27, 2020 at 4:23 pm

    A Reader writes:

    To Diane

    Thanks for the interesting article on Zombie Campaigns. Here is another example for a future article. This guy, former Congressman Elton Gallegly retired in 2012 and seems to be using up his funds by paying his wife to be his ongoing campaign consultant. Talk about conversion of funds for personal use!

    Sounds like he is already breaking the law. If not, the laws should be changed.

    Signed,
    A Reader

  2. Diane Dimond on January 27, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    Reader Fred Mizzi writes:

    Very sad. It’s why so many run even with no chance… it’s worth it!

  3. Diane Dimond on February 4, 2020 at 4:39 pm

    Reader PRO POTUS PATRIOT@EWiehler writes:

    I always wondered where the money went after the campaign ended…

  4. Diane Dimond on February 17, 2020 at 11:07 am

    Reader Bachman Randall writes:

    This explains how Biden who has never worked beyond govt, is rich. Obama, almost the same, Clintons – ditto. How? But bilking suckers. Don’t be a sucker, don’t be a Democrat. Problem is, when elected, they force all of us to be suckers. They are revolutionaries at war with America. Wake up, don’t feed them.

  5. Diane Dimond on February 17, 2020 at 11:07 am

    Reader NavyVet writes:

    I gave to a campaign once. It took years to get away from the constant attempts from a whole bunch of them to get more.
    It dawned on me, they take my money and usually waste it, or give it to my enemies, i.e. the media, to try and counter the 24⁄7 lies of the leftists controlling that media.
    My money is worthless to them. The thing I have of value is my vote. That I do give to those that want to MAGA. No amount of lies and projections by those rat-fart democrats is going to win that vote. They need to grow up, become Americans again, and tell the truth, starting with admitting how dishonest they are today.

  6. Diane Dimond on February 17, 2020 at 11:07 am

    Reader Butters writes:

    Good for you. This is why I have never given money to politicians. Votes yes but never money. This story just cements my thoughts completely. I have often wondered how they became so wealthy. this article goes a long way to explaining.

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