Horn appears to have violated FEC law
By Wally EdgeSecond District Congressional candidate Grant Bosse has filed an official complaint to the Federal Election Commission against rival Jennifer Horn. Bosse charges Horn used general election money during the primary campaign during the first quarter of 2008, but a PolitickerNH.com analysis over the past week show the violations go much deeper.
Bosse's complaint takes a look at the fact that for nearly two weeks straight the campaign was in violation of campaign finance law by using general election money before they were allowed. An individual may donate $2,300 per election -- primary and general -- meaning they can give a total of $4,600. If an individual makes a donation of $4,600 during the primary season, the candidate may accept the contribution, but only spend $2,300, while the other $2,300 must remain in the bank until the general election.
By looking at the primary dollar deposits and expenditures of the Horn campaign and the dates in which they were made, it appears the campaign did not follow the law. The campaign, in fact, had a negative primary dollar balance from March 18th through March 31. By using the same method it appears the campaign went had a negative primary balance from April 8th through May 5th and again May 8th through June 27th in the 2nd quarter. Then the campaign used general election dollars to keep the lights on.
For example, on March 18th the campaign has received $9,200 total from both Albert and Susan Brown, meaning they both "double maxed". This meant the campaign had $4,600 in general election money they could not spend. If you add the campaign's receipts and expenditures it shows the campaign grabbed some $2,400 of the untouchable general election money. By the end of the quarter Anita Brown and both Carolyn and Mark Ustin also had reached the $4,600 mark.
PolitickerNH.com has also been looking at what appears to be a violation of in-kind contributions. In the second quarter Horn campaign chairs Augusta and Ambassador Joseph Petrone made in-kind donations of $2,575 and $2,600 respectively. In-kind contributions cannot be counted towards the general election as the whole amount was spent during the primary (e.g. If you bought cold cuts for a house party in June you spent the money during the primary).
The Petrones had donated $1,300 and $1,000 during the first quarter which one would have to assume was spent during that time as the campaign had dropped below the allotted primary amount it had raised. During the 2nd quarter the campaign appears to have spent as many as 6 weeks below the allowed general election cash on hand position.
The Horn campaign was contacted for comment, but did not reply
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More Smoke and Mirrors
It appears that Bosse is once again trying to create headlines with blatantly dishonest tactics. He has to attack others because there is not one positive thing to say about his own campaign. However, what is really happening is that the establishment forces are attempting to keep Horn out because everyone knows she has the most support from folks at the grassroots. While Bosse grovels for "supporters" Clegg is content to dump loads of his wife's money into the race in an attempt to pave over his RINO ways.
Also, it is now readily apparent that "Wally" is conducting shoddy and baised journalism. It's unfortunate that the true identity of "Wally" is unknown.
2 gold stars
While you may not like him, I think he deserves 2 gold stars and an extra pint of milk (over the other candidates and incumbent) for being quick to rebuke every Hodes statement, and dig into his opponents campaigns. He reminds me of a Republican "Kucinich" in being so pro-active and not afraid speak his mind, but like Kucinich, has no chance to win.
Is Wally on Crack?
Maybe Wally should read the candidates campaign finance book.....
Is there a response from the
Is there a response from the Horn Campaign, or did Politicker not think of that before they decided to run with the story?
Politics as usual
Jennifer Horn is focused on being the best representative of the people in the district and getting her message out. Fundraising is, unfortunately, a neccessity that helps get the message out. It is absurd to think that Jennifer would risk all the hard work to date by violating campaign finance regulations. It is very unfortunate that Grant Bosse can not spend time getting his message out. It appears his only message is negative campaigning.
Thank goodness we have jennifer Horn that will avoid politics as usual in Washington!
But did she?
All you Horn apologists are quick to blame Grant, but what about Horn? If she did indeed break the law it's fair game. Stop with the negative non-sense and prove Wally and Grant wrong if they are wrong.
On the Contrary
The burden is on Grant and "Wally" to find exactly what law she has violated and to back up their accusations with actual data verbatim from Jennifer's reports. Anyone can yell fire in a crowded room. Evidently Grant is already in the habit of dishonest tactics. I'd say that Grant would fit right in with the Washington crowd, but than I'd be implying that he could actually win.
Aha
This is a clever plot by Grant Bosse to steal the coveted Jackie Mason endorsement from Horn.
Bravo
Kudos to Politicker and Wally for doing some deep research into the FEC filings. These are the types of things that us citizens/readers deserve to know about and have explained. I look forward to more investigative reporting on all the other candidates in the future.
Hilarious
That half of these comments raise questions that are addressed in the post itself--e.g., "Is there a response from the Horn Campaign...?" The Horn folks done got themselves into such a tizzy over the headline that they didn't take the time to read the article!
Like leader, like followers, apparently. Horn herself regularly fails to inform herself about the material details before taking positions on issues. Say what you want about Bosse, you can't deny that he's a policy wonk who actually takes the time to understand what he's talking about. By contrast, Horn's Op-Ed in the UL last week was absolutely devoid of substance--as is the "issues" section of her web page.
Get a Lawyer
James Pindell really needs to talk to a lawyer because this is bogus! This is such a stupid complaint I cant believe they even wrote about it.
Wait for the FEC
I wish we had a better sense of the legal rules here. Unfortunately, in our age of instant media, all Bosse has to do is make the charge, whether or not it has any legal basis, and the damage is done. Personally, I'm going to wait to see what the FEC says.
classic politics
When you don't like the message, attack the messenger..
I mean why ever actually address why she did it. Or why, goodness, ever mention that whether she broke FEC law or not she is broke! According to her own filing she has less money on hand than Bosse for the general.
Are you kidding?
NoLeftTurns's suggestion that there is no substance to the Bosse campaign is ludicrous. Bosse's the one who has issued more specific proposals than the other candidates combined. He's all about substance. As a conservative, I am heartened to know that, for a change, the most conservative candidate in the race is also by far the smartest. Have you been reading a specific proposal every day about how to reduce spending in Washington? Can you imagine Jennifer Horn doing such a thing, or even understanding these issues well enough to consider them? Please. While it would be nice to have a female representative, she's the one with no substance. Bosse would be a breath of fresh air; she's out of her league.
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