In San Francisco, the alleged personal use of campaign funds is being investigated. The San Francisco Chronicle covers a hearing held by the San Francisco Ethics Commission on the matter.
Missouri Limits
According to this article and report, an individual in Missouri allegedly registered 100 political committees.
Rex Sinquefield created 100 new political action committees (PACs) in September 2007. The formation of these PACs allows him to legally contribute 100 times the legal limit to the candidates or officials of his choice. “Sinquefield, who opposes income taxes and favors changes in the public schools, acknowledges that he is skirting Missouri’s campaign donation limits by setting up 100 political action committees so each can donate the maximum to favored candidates (footnotes omitted).
A Candidate, Not Running for Office
The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board recently released Advisory Opinion 397. The issue, per the Board’s analysis, turned on whether the candidate previously ran for any other office. According to the opinion,
In the previous election cycle, the Requester met the definition of a “candidate” under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 10A since he raised and spent more than $100 to influence his nomination at the endorsing convention. However, the statutory language that qualifies a person for a campaign expenditure limit increase is not based on whether an individual has been a “candidate” for the office before, but whether the person has “run for office” previously. Meeting the minimal financial threshold for becoming a candidate does not necessarily constitute running for office.