# Where does unused money donated to political campaigns go? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 11, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-unused-money-donated-to-political-campaigns-go/643687 "2012-12-11T05:55:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-unused-money-donated-to-political-campaigns-go/643687/1 "2012-12-11T05:55:33Z")
Where does surplus money donated to political campaigns go after the campaign is over? ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2012, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-unused-money-donated-to-political-campaigns-go/643687/2 "2012-12-11T06:06:48Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Where does surplus money donated to political campaigns go after the campaign is over? Most common place is that candidates ‘war chest’ ie they save it for their next political campaign. > **[Leftover Campaign Funds - FactCheck.org](https://www.factcheck.org/2008/02/leftover-campaign-funds/)** > > Q: What happens to a candidate’s leftover campaign funds when he or she drops out of the race? A: The big rule is: no personal use. FULL QUESTION Do candidates for elected office keep donations to their campaigns for personal use after they lose or... ---
**Author:** ![Mann\_Slaughter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Mann\_Slaughter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mann_Slaughter)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-unused-money-donated-to-political-campaigns-go/643687/3 "2012-12-12T13:57:41Z")
Well, here in Ohio the law says that you have 3 choices: “Under state law, politicians can donate campaign contributions to political parties, other politicians or charities; they cannot use campaign money for personal expenses.” But apparently disgraced former Cuyahoga county sheriff Gerald McFaul found that you can also use those funds to pay restitution on fines levied for the crime of having [“ILLEGALLY RAISED THOSE VERY SAME FUNDS”](http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2012/11/ohio_elections_panel_again_cle.html) which is what ultimately cost him his JOB! Seriously??? WTF?!?!?!?! :mad: From the article: "Secretary of State Jon Husted said the decision sets a dangerous precedent for Ohio’s campaign finance system because it nullifies the financial penalty to those who illegally raise money. “This ruling exposes our campaign finance system as nothing more than a paper tiger,” Husted said in a statement. “The fact that McFaul was guilty of illegally raising campaign funds and was allowed by the Ohio Elections Commission to use the same illegally raised funds to pay his fine has troubling implications for our campaign finance system.” Yet with crooks like McFaul doing whatever they want, our state reps are busy drafting BS about “[Fetal Heartbeat](http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/11/senate_republicans_planning_to.html)” bills, and “Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients”. Jeezus! ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-unused-money-donated-to-political-campaigns-go/643687/4 "2012-12-12T14:17:50Z")
Campaign contributions are so last century – what you want is a Super PAC that lets you [make the money disappear Ghu knows where](http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire/2012/1114/Stephen-Colbert-shuts-super-PAC.-Where-did-the-money-go). ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-unused-money-donated-to-political-campaigns-go/643687/5 "2012-12-13T09:02:41Z")
Appeal to an Andorian deity? Fascinating.