Wicker can redesignate campaign funds for future use
Sen. Roger Wicker’s campaign won’t necessarily have to refund to financial contributors the donations collected for a once-possible runoff of November’s special U.S. Senate election.
If the donors agree, it can be redesignated for use in a future campaign if Wicker wins the special election against former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove.
A story in Thursday’s Daily Journal said the Federal Election Commission would require the Wicker campaign to refund the contributions that were originally raised to be used in a runoff. That’s only one of the options, however.
The campaign can also go back to the donors and ask them to redesignate the contributions for a future campaign, an FEC spokesperson confirmed Thursday after Wicker campaign officials challenged statements in the Daily Journal article.
That decision will be made after the Nov. 4 special election, said Wicker campaign director Austin Barbour. If Wicker wins that election to complete the remainder of former Sen. Trent Lott’s term, the next election cycle for him would be the 2012 party primaries.
Federal election laws set limits on contributions for each election cycle. It’s $2,300 for individuals and $5,000 for political action committees.
A special election and a runoff would be considered two election cycles, so contributors could double that amount and some of Wicker’s had done so.
At the outset of the campaign, Barbour said, “Our lawyers communicated with the lawyers with the FEC. Their attorneys advised our lawyers that we were able to take two cycles of money.”
NE MS Daily Journal
4/25/8
Magnolia Tribune
