DeSantis, State PAC Accused of Violating ‘Soft Money’ Ban

May 30, 2023 by Dan McCue
DeSantis, State PAC Accused of Violating ‘Soft Money’ Ban
FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a fundraising picnic for Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his state PAC allegedly broke campaign finance laws prohibiting the use of so-called “soft money” by transferring over $80 million to a federal super PAC, a complaint filed by the Campaign Legal Center claims.

Friends of Ron DeSantis, a state PAC based in Florida that the newly minted presidential candidate established in 2018, has reportedly raised over $225 million through this month.

In its complaint, which was filed with the Federal Election Commission Tuesday morning, the nonprofit government watchdog group claims roughly $80 million of that total was directed or transferred to Never Back Down, a federal super PAC organized to serve as the primary spending vehicle for the governor’s presidential campaign.

According to the filing, Never Back Down has already spent over $944,000 to promote DeSantis’ candidacy.

The FEC prohibits candidates for federal office from spending “soft money” in a federal election because such funds are not subject to federal campaign finance laws.

Controlling the use of soft money has been a hot-button issue surrounding federal campaigns ever since the post-Watergate reform era of the mid-1970s.

Soft money funds, in a general sense, are funds raised by national and state parties that are not regulated by the federal campaign finance law because they are not contributed directly to a candidate, but instead go to a party committee for its use in generic “party building” or “get-out-the-vote” activities.

Contributors to soft money accounts are not subject to contribution limits and are not subject to the transparency rules associated with other federal campaign contributions.

By law, all such contributions must be deposited in separate, non-federal accounts. However, in practice, use of the funds sometimes benefits specific candidates, making it a vehicle for skirting contribution limits and restrictions.

“Soft money undermines federal campaign finance laws because it is, by definition, money raised and spent outside the scope of those laws,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at Campaign Legal Center. 

“We’re talking about funds from billionaires and corporate special interests who could exert massive influence over the candidate they are financing,” Ghosh continued. “Laws banning these funds from being used to seek federal office are there for a reason — to prevent corruption, promote transparency and ensure that wealthy special interests can’t rig the system even further in their favor.”

The complaint asserts that DeSantis became a candidate well before his public announcement on May 24, 2023, and was therefore bound by the FECA provisions prohibiting candidates and the entities they establish, finance, maintain or control from spending soft money in connection with federal elections. 

As a result, the Campaign Legal Center claims, Friends of Ron DeSantis “brazenly” violated the law when it transferred this colossal sum to a federal super PAC.

The PAC was recently renamed “Empower Parents PAC” as part of what the watchdog group describes as “a clear effort to distance the group from DeSantis.”

The Well News has reached out to the DeSantis campaign for comment.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • campaign finance complaint
  • Campaign Legal Center
  • Ron DeSantis
  • soft money
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Campaign Finance

    January 26, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Report Highlights Benefits of Allowing Campaign Spend on Child Care

    WASHINGTON — The number of parent-candidates for federal office using campaign funds to cover their child care costs has jumped... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The number of parent-candidates for federal office using campaign funds to cover their child care costs has jumped more than 600% since the Federal Election Commission approved the practice in 2018, but more needs to be done to expand the benefit to those seeking... Read More

    Koch Network Endorses Nikki Haley in Republican Presidential Primary

    NEW YORK (AP) — Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the powerful Koch network, formally endorsed Nikki Haley's presidential campaign on... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the powerful Koch network, formally endorsed Nikki Haley's presidential campaign on Tuesday, promising to commit its nationwide army of activists — and virtually unlimited funds — to helping Haley defeat former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary contest.... Read More

    October 23, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Advocates Sue for New Campaign Disclosure Rules

    WASHINGTON — A pair of advocates for more transparency in campaign finance sued the Federal Election Commission on Monday for... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A pair of advocates for more transparency in campaign finance sued the Federal Election Commission on Monday for failing to create new disclosure rules for so-called “special-purpose” accounts maintained by national party committees. Special-purpose accounts are vehicles that can be used to manage party... Read More

    October 6, 2023
    by Tom Ramstack
    Santos' Former Campaign Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charge

    NEW YORK — The former treasurer for the election campaign of U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pleaded guilty Thursday to... Read More

    NEW YORK — The former treasurer for the election campaign of U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to defraud after admitting she helped to report fake loans the New York Republican claimed he made to his campaign. The reports were given to... Read More

    August 11, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Campaign Legal Center Files Straw Donor Complaint on Christie-Supporting PAC

    WASHINGTON — A Texas-based entity called SHBT LLC violated federal campaign finance laws by hiding the true source of a... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A Texas-based entity called SHBT LLC violated federal campaign finance laws by hiding the true source of a $1 million contribution to Tell It Like It Is, a super PAC supporting the 2024 presidential bid of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a campaign... Read More

    Trump's Campaign Finances Are Strained as Legal Peril Mounts

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s political operation entered the second half of the year in a strained financial position with its bank... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s political operation entered the second half of the year in a strained financial position with its bank account drained by tens of millions of dollars that were directed toward defending the former president from mounting legal challenges as he seeks the White House... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top