Running for office costs a lot of money. That's why candidates collect millions of dollars in contributions, as do the political action committees (PACs) established in their name. Candidates in the 2020 presidential cycle drew $4.1 billion in 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:donations.

But once the political ca♓mpaign is over, the volunteers leave, the printers are tu♔rned off, and the buttons are put away, where does all that leftover money go? There are rules in place that dictate how money can be spent after a campaign concludes. Permitted uses include charitable donations, donations to other candidates, and saving it for a future campaign; personal use is prohibited.

Candidate Campaign Committees

Candidate campaign committees are the official committees run by the candidate and their campaign team. The Federal Election Commission has rules in place to control how money raised by such committees is spent after a candidate bows out, or after an election is officially over.

Permissible Uses

The contributions can be used in the fo🌌llo☂wing ways:

• 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Donations to charities as long as the candidate does not receive any compensation from the organizations before it is spent and the donation is not used by the charity to benefit the candidate.
• A donation of a maximum of $2,000 to another federal candidate, and donations to state or local candidates subject to state law.
• Gift or donations of 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:nominal value on special occasions to anyone besides the candidate's family.
• Unlimited transfers to a local, state, or national political party committee like the Democratic or Republican National Committees.
• Transfer to a future election campaign committee of the same candidate.
• Creation of a leadership PAC to back other candidates and a political agenda. Critics say these can be used as 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:slush funds since there are few restrictions on this kind of spending.
  

Personal Use Is a No-No

Candidates are not allowed to use any remaining funds for personal use after all ca🐠mpaign-related debts are settled. Personal use is defined as “a commitment,☂ obligation or expense of any person that would exist irrespective of the candidate’s campaign or responsibilities as a federal officeholder.”

In other words, campaဣign funds may not be used for an expense that exists independent of the campaign. Expenses that are automatically considered personal use include𝓀:

• Household items
• Mortgage or rent for a personal residence
• Salary payments to the candidate's family unless they provide a bona fide service to the campaign and the payment reflects the value of the service in the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:free market
  

General Election Refunds

The amount of money any individual can donate to a single candidate is capped. The Federal Election Campaign Act c🌺aps such contri🗹butions at $3,300 per election for the 2023-2024 federal election cycle.

One i𝔍mportant point to note is that the primary election and general election count as two separate elections. This means that it is possible for someone to contribute $6,600 to a federal candidate—once during the primary and another time during the presidential campaign.

If a candidate receives contributions for a general election, but drops out of the race or loses the primary race beforehand, contributions must be refunded to individual donors within 60 days. Alternatively, the candidate can redesignate or redistribute their general election funds with the contributor's permission.

Super PACs

Ideally, contributions should not be lying around and should be spent as quickly as they come in to maximize the chances of the candidꦉate winning. However, a super PAC can have money left if those at the helm were reluctant or inept.

“Where you see a lot of money left over in the super PAC after the candidate drops out, that will probably tell you something about how seriously the super PAC took the race, to begin with,” according to Robert Kelner, partner of the law firm Covington & Burling, specializing in election and political law.

Super PACs cannot coordinate with a federal candidate or donate to a national political party committee. There are no regulations on how a super PAC uses funds after the candidate drops out or the election is over. They can continue to use the money to support the same candidate in future elections, or another federal candidate in future elections. They can also donate the money to other organizations aligned with their political cause. Although a super PAC's treasurer isn't legally obligated to refund any of the money to donors, they often do. In 2016, the Jeb Bush super PAC Right to Rise said it would refund $12 million to donors. 

The Bottom Line

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Political campaigns can raise millionꦐs and even billions of dollars through personal and business donations. This money can be used to pay for travel, administration, salaries, and any other campaign-related expenses. Candidates must keep diligent records of where the money comes from and how much is spent. But if a campaign ends (for whatever reason), it must find ways to disperse the funds. This includes spreading it out to other candidates, gifts, and refunds to donors. But candidates are prohibited from using these funds for personal use.