# Who keeps unused election money? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2001, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-keeps-unused-election-money/76405 "2001-08-15T16:29:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-keeps-unused-election-money/76405/1 "2001-08-15T16:29:27Z")
Not that this is Condit specific, but it did get me wondering: If someone raises money then doesn’t use it all what happens to it? I would guess that the winner can keep it in their ‘war chest’ for the next election, and probably the loser, as well. But what if they never run again? Do they just get to keep it? I can see Condit raising a bunch of money then not running, or putting up a token campaign, and pocketing the rest. My own state, Delaware, had a senior senator by the name of Roth (of Roth IRA fame). But this last election, despite all his seniority (which Delawarians tend to preserve at most any cost since we only get 3 reps and we like to maximise their influence) and his IRA, he put up a really weak campaign and lost. So I’m also wondering about him, too. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-keeps-unused-election-money/76405/2 "2001-08-15T16:33:14Z")
The candidate can’t keep the money for him/herself. That would be most illegal. This is what the rules are in Virginia. > [@](#): > > Surplus funds may only be disposed of by one or any combination of the following methods: > > Transfer the extra funds to a campaign account for a future election; > > Retire the deficit incurred by a previous campaign committee; > > Return the excess to one or more contributors in amounts not greater than the contributor’s original contribution; > > Donate the excess to a charitable organization as described in §170 © of the Internal Revenue Code; > > Donate the excess to one or more candidates campaign or political committees; or > > Defray any ordinary, non-reimbursed expense related to your elective office. I would imagine Federal guidelines are similar. ---
**Author:** ![Heaving\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Heaving\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heaving_Mass)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-keeps-unused-election-money/76405/3 "2001-08-15T16:39:03Z")
Are you by any chance James Carroll, of Tullanisky, Mullingar, Ireland? ---
**Author:** ![gorewonfla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/da6949/32.png) [@gorewonfla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gorewonfla)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-keeps-unused-election-money/76405/4 "2001-08-15T17:37:42Z")
Sometimes candidates find themselves in debt, like Maria Cantwell, who won a Washington Senate race, or Rick Lazio, who lost the NY Senate race. Cantwell won by the slimmest margin of any Senator in the last cycle, so she’s already started raising funds and paying down that debt, which is mostly due to the fact she self-funded her campaign and her company stock plummeted. I still don’t know how Rick Lazio is able to get people to contribute to him, considering his crappy performance against Hillary and his shunning of running for elected office again (he won’t run for his old seat, which was won by a Democrat and he won’t run for statewide office either, against the wishes of NY Republicans). Still, he manages to slowly pay off that debt. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-keeps-unused-election-money/76405/5 "2001-08-15T17:41:25Z")
In the old days, the candidate could keep any unused money for his personal use, also. Goldurn campaign finance laws! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-keeps-unused-election-money/76405/6 "2001-08-15T18:18:04Z")
**Heaving Mass:** > [@](#): > > Are you by any chance James Carroll, of Tullanisky, Mullingar, Ireland? Not yet. But send me a plane ticket and I’ll see what I can do. 🙂