At the end of May, Platner had $2.2 million in remaining cash. In this way he could support his successor.
PORTLAND, Maine – After dropping out of Maine’s U.S. Senate race, Graham Platner’s campaign still has about $2.2 million in cash, according to the latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) report from the end of May.
According to the FEC, Platner can keep his money for a future run, use it to pay off any debts, pay his campaign staff or give to charity. He cannot use the money for personal expenses.
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Some people who donated to the campaign may be wondering whether they can get some of their money back after Platner drops out. At the moment there is no clear answer.
The FEC requires a candidate to return donations made specifically for the general election if they lose the primary. However, there are no specific guidelines for when a candidate drops out after winning the primary.
The FEC referred NEWS CENTER Maine to a 1994 case when the commission ruled that a candidate who dropped out after winning the primary could keep his general election contributions because he had incurred expenses in connection with that election.
Platner may not have to refund donations in a similar situation.
With Platner now out of the running, it will be an uphill battle to see who will replace him when it comes to fundraising. But there are other ways Platner can use his remaining money to support whoever replaces him.
“By law, he can’t donate more than $2,000 to any given person,” said Ron Schmidt, head of the political science department at the University of Southern Maine. “But he can donate as much as he wants to the parties or to various super PACs, you know, these interest group fundraising machines.”
Then a party committee or PAC could coordinate with whoever is nominated to replace Platner and fund his campaign.
Among potential Senate candidates, some are more financially disadvantaged than others. Candidates who have run for state office cannot use their remaining money for federal campaigns, meaning Nirav Shah, Troy Jackson and Shenna Bellows, all of whom have money left over after their gubernatorial run, cannot use that money for a Senate race.
Candidates who have run for federal offices such as the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives can use their leftover money from previous campaigns to fund a new Senate campaign. These include candidates like Jordan Wood, David Costello and Dan Kleban. Wood has about $423,000, Costello has about $18,000, and Kleban has just $420.
Meanwhile, Senator Susan Collins has almost $10 million in cash.
“At least right now, Senator Collins has a really big advantage in fundraising over all the candidates we’re talking about right now,” Schmidt said. “So this isn’t as consequential as it might feel.”
Schmidt said he believes whoever becomes the Democratic nominee for Senate will face many challenges entering the race this late.
“I think the resource that the Democratic nominee would want more of — even more than money — is time,” he said.
It’s not clear how much of the $2.2 million Platner raised has been spent or how much Platner has raised since its last filing in May. The next update from the FEC will be on July 15th.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to the Platner campaign to see if it has plans for using the remaining funds but has not received a response.
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