Author: Eric Brown

Permissible Uses of Campaign Funds

Today’s Post, in “Senators Diverting Campaign Funds to Kin,” notes that [u]nder long-standing congressional ethics rules, corporations, unions and other large organizations cannot directly pay senators stipends. But their contributions to senators’ election campaigns can be paid without limit to the children, spouses, in-laws and other relatives of the lawmakers, in a practice that has […]

State Issues: Illinois

The Beacon News reports a number of Illinois candidates and committees owe fines. Election officials have little leverage in collecting the fines except to kick candidates off the ballot — moot between elections or if the candidate loses. Officials have asked the state attorney general’s office for an opinion on how it might go about […]