Candidates Fund Each Other

Joel Keller, from left, Mike Carney and Jim Murawski hold political signs Thursday outside of an early voting location in downtown Rogers. Candidates can purchase tickets to events hosted by other candidates, according to Arkansas Ethics Commission campaign rules. Investigations are complaint-driven, and violations can result in letters of caution, warning or reprimand; a fine of $50 to $2,000, or misdemeanor criminal charges.
Joel Keller, from left, Mike Carney and Jim Murawski hold political signs Thursday outside of an early voting location in downtown Rogers. Candidates can purchase tickets to events hosted by other candidates, according to Arkansas Ethics Commission campaign rules. Investigations are complaint-driven, and violations can result in letters of caution, warning or reprimand; a fine of $50 to $2,000, or misdemeanor criminal charges.

— Ulvade Lindsey hasn’t spent much money campaigning for a state Senate seat, but he laid out $2,700 in one month to support other legislative candidates.

The Democrat from Fayetteville isn’t alone. A group of unopposed Benton County candidates on the Republican side — Jonathan Barnett, Cecile Bledsoe, Les Carnine and Debra Hobbs — have spent most of their collective campaign war chests supporting GOP candidates in other races.

State legislative candidates can’t give money directly from their campaign to another, so the money is shown on finance reports as a campaign expenditure to purchase tickets to another candidate’s fundraiser. The state law governing such donations assumes that, by attending an event for another candidate, the donor is also furthering or promoting his own campaign, said Rep. Jon Woods, R- Springdale. Woods is seeking the Senate District 7 seat.

Woods has donated money to the legislative campaigns of Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville; Rep. Justin Harris, R-West Fork; and 1st District Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro.

“I’m trying to help others who are facing much tighter races,” Woods said. “The way it’s worded, you’re not so much buying the ticket to support the other candidate, but attending for your own campaign purposes.”

The biggest campaign-to-campaign donors in Northwest Arkansas, however, are those who don’t need to campaign because they’re running unchallenged.

Lindsey, who didn’t draw an opponent for the District 4 Senate seat, had $47,000 to spread around as of Oct. 1. Hobbs, set to continue her House service in District 94, had $10,000 in the bank Oct. 1 after a July spending spree where she donated to 20 different campaigns in the course of three major fundraising events.

“We encourage those candidates who don’t have opposition to support those who do,” said Jim Reavis, Washington County Republican chairman. “The donor system is only so large, and it helps us put the money where it needs to go. It’s a case of working together for the common good.”

Hobbs’ reported spending $200 each in July for tickets to fundraisers for 16 candidates. She purchased two tickets each for four other candidates on July 11, 12 and 17, spending $400 each time.

“The presumption is that you’re not buying the ticket to support that candidate, but instead buying access to the crowd at that event,” said Graham Sloan, director of the Arkansas Ethics Commission. “There’s also the assumption that even unopposed candidates could still be trying to round up votes in case a write-in challenges them.”

The biggest difference in that argument from past years is that write-in candidates must now file their intent to run before the primaries, Sloan said. Previously, write-in challengers could announce campaigns as late as September.

Candidates can also write personal checks to other campaigns.

At A Glance

By The Rules

Candidates can purchase tickets to events hosted by other candidates, according to Arkansas Ethics Commission campaign rules. Investigations are complaint-driven, and violations can result in letters of caution, warning or reprimand; a fine of $50 to $2,000, or misdemeanor criminal charges.

From the ethics commission codes:

221(a) Candidates may purchase tickets from charities, civic organizations and political parties for banquets or other similar special social events. This includes the purchase of a table if the customary and normal practice of the banquet is the purchasing of a table as opposed to individual tickets. Purchase of tickets for a candidate’s spouse and campaign workers is likewise permissible with campaign funds. The presence at a banquet increases public visibility of candidates. If the candidate purchases a table of seats or tickets, the candidate shall make all reasonable efforts to attend the banquet.

Source: Staff Report

“If you want to help another candidate out on your own, with personal money, that’s great,” Lindsey said. “Tickets to fundraisers, paid by your campaign, is fine, although instances where a campaign buys two or three thousand dollars worth of tickets to a fundraiser for a single campaign — which we’ve seen in the past — is really stretching the ticketing rule somewhat.”

Collins knew he’d have to spend to win this time around. The incumbent Fayetteville Republican faces Democrat Adella Gray, a city councilwoman, for the House District 84 seat. Collins’ race is one of the more competitive in Northwest Arkansas thanks to Gray’s name recognition and a district redrawn after the 2010 Census that removed some of the reliably Republican-voting areas.

Collins has also collected thousands of dollars from eight other legislators’ campaigns, including two from outside Northwest Arkansas, in addition to individuals, corporations, political action committees and the local Republican Party. Thrid District Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, and congressional candidate Tom Cotton, a Republican seeking to represent the 4th District, have supported Collins. Collins entered October with $50,000 in the bank.

“It’s nice to have that kind of advantage going into the homestretch and getting help from other candidates has been a boost to that,” Collins said. “I know I’ve got a cushion to fight back directly against any outside money or influence that might show up toward the end of the campaign.”

Gray, who hasn’t been similarly supported by fellow Democratic candidates, had $10,000 at that time and had raised a total of $24,000 throughout her campaign. Despite the bottom-line difference, Gray said her support base gives her an advantage.

“My support has been almost completely local, and that’s a big deal,” she said. “I’m paying for my own mailers, not depending on outside groups to support the campaign, and I think that shows my advantage in the district.”

Web Watch

Complete Documents

See the complete documents online at nwaonline.com/campaignfinances. For additional candidate information, go to nwaonline.com/vote.

Democrats don’t generally give money between levels as often as Republicans do, leaders from both parties said.

Collins, while spending on his own race, has also given money to fellow GOP candidate Paul Graham of Farmington, who’s running on the other side of Fayetteville, in District 85 against Democrat David Whitaker.

“The way the rules are written, it’s the donor that has to be able to make a case for buying tickets to another candidate’s event,” Sloan said. “As far as receiving the money, a candidate just has to report it correctly. There’s no prohibition on the receiving end.”

Congressional candidates can donate directly to other campaigns. Womack donated to every Republican candidate examined. Second District Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Little Rock, and Cotton also contributed to several local races.

On the Democratic side, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel contributed to most Northwest Arkansas candidates. Going the opposite direction, Barnett, the Siloam Springs Republican with no opposition for the state House District 87 seat, gave $100 to Scott Jones, who’s seeking a seat on the Siloam Springs City Council.

Some unopposed candidates reported little or no activity in certain months. Bledsoe, who drew no opponent in the Senate District 3 race, took September completely off, neither raising nor spending a single dollar. Jim Hendren, the Gravette Republican unopposed in Senate District 2, raised $1,750 in September, but never opened his checkbook. Jim Dotson, the Bentonville Republican without opposition in House District 93, raised nothing in August and spent $17 that month. Hobbs, facing no competition for House District 94, raised no money in August and gave a $100 donation to Congressional candidate Cotton.

“While some people think it’s inappropriate for an unopposed candidate to donate to another candidate, the argument could be made that it’s just like any other expense,” Sloan said. “Taken too far, it would be hard to justify unopposed candidates spending on any type of campaign costs, even signs or mailers.

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