Earlier today, we asked whether formally ‘suspending’ his campaign might still allow Herman Cain to get matching funds for his campaign. Our reporter on the campaign finance beat, Ryan Reilly, got hold of campaign finance law expert Joseph M. Birkenstock.
Here’s his answer:
“Obviously you can only get matching funds to actively run the campaign… The question isn’t only whether you can get them, but whether you can use them. You can only spend the matching funds on a qualified campaign expense. If you’re not actively campaigning, the only thing that would be a qualifying expense is a winding down expense… So the cost involved in laying people off and shutting down offices. Having enough facts to support the conclusion that what you’re doing counts as a qualified expense can be pretty tricky.”
Here’s a good way to visualize the entirety of Cain’s campaign.
You’ll note that Herman Cain didn’t drop out of the presidential campaign. He “suspended” his campaign. And that’s not just a spinny weasel word. It has significant campaign finance implications. For one, it means he can continue to raise money.
In certain cases I believe but I have not yet been able to confirm that ‘suspending’ can leave a candidate eligible for matching funds, under certain circumstances. Again, we’re still trying to confirm this latter point. And we’ll update you when we do.
Influential Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa says the Cain campaign is dead — no matter what the candidate actually says today.
Watch Cain’s ‘Major Announcement’ Live right here. Scheduled to start at 12 noon ET, with Cain speaking around 1 PM.
A former US Attorney who resigned in the wake of the ATF’s botched ‘Fast and Furious’ operation called Sen. Chuck Grassley’s staff “willing stooges for the Gun Lobby.”
Cain campaign says new “Women for Cain” reflects Gloria Cain’s “grace and beauty.”
In the words of the British moral philosopher David St. Hubbins, it’s such a fine line between stupid and clever. And in the line Mitt Romney’s campaign is giving to Politico and other outlets, I think they’re coming down in the former category.
According to Mitt advisors, one of their key hits against Gingrich will be that he’s a flip-flopper. And this won’t just hurt Newt, apparently, it will also serve to inoculate Romney from charges that he’s a flip-flopper. Read More
Newt unsheathes his secret (self-destruction) weapon: his ego. Watch.