Brown-Waite raised, spent campaign funds with retirement imminent

Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite raised more than $120,000 in the months before she made the surprise announcement that she wouldn't seek re-election because of health reasons.

Brown-Waite, R-Brookesville, had filed to run for re-election in the 5th District last November. She received more than 6,100 petition signatures to get her name on the ballot and had a $515,000 campaign war chest. Her announcement to withdraw just 11 minutes after the April 30 qualifying deadline has been widely criticized.

Hernando County Sheriff Richard Nugent said the four-term incumbent contacted him on March 31 - a month before the qualifying deadline -- to recruit him to run in her place.

The same day, she collected $17,250 in contributions, according to her campaign fundraising report. And in the month between telling Nugent she was looking for a replacement and announcing she was retiring, she raised another $19,310.

Brown-Waite's impending retirement didn't curb her campaign spending, either.

In the first three months of the year, she spent more than $65,000. Those disbursements included $24,500 spent on voter surveys and direct mail. In the second quarter, she spent more than $30,000 on fundraising consultants.

Dave Levinthal, spokesman for the nonpartisan watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics, said Brown-Waite's actions may have been legal, but they didn't follow the spirit of campaign laws.

"It seems to be a legitimate question to ask why someone would be spending time and resources fundraising when, in their mind, they're no longer a candidate," Levinthal said. "It's definitely not typical to conduct a campaign that way."

Campaign finance records show Brown-Waite used her campaign credit card liberally, paying for airline tickets, expensive dinners in Vail, Colo., and a night at the swanky Ritz Carlton hotel in Washington D.C. Since January, her campaign charged nearly $8,500.

Two weeks after she asked Nugent to run for her seat, she bought a new computer and laptop from the Apple Store, priced at $3,700.

Two days after she withdrew, she spent $265 at Best Buy for computer supplies. Over the six-month period, she bought $3,500 worth of campaign software - most of after March 31.

Christian Hilland, a spokesman for the Federal Elections Commission, said Brown-Waite cannot keep any of that computer equipment. The campaign committee is required to sell or donate its assets.

Brown-Waite would not discuss her campaign spending with the Tribune, but she did offer a written statement: "As has been widely reported, my decision not to seek re-election due to extenuating health concerns was made at the last minute," she wrote. "However, I am contractually obligated to pay any outstanding debts to companies I worked with while I was seeking re-election."

The Federal Elections Commission has strict guidelines on how candidates who are no longer seeking office should dispose of their campaign funds. Brown-Waite already has refunded $54,502 in contributions that were received after her withdrawal or were designated for the general election.

Still, Meredith McGehee, policy director for the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center, called Brown-Waite's behavior "disappointing" and said it's a perfect example of why Congress has such a low approval rating.

"Closed-door deals, money raised with no intention to run, subterfuge to limit competition - this kind of behavior feeds the cynicism people have for American politics," McGehee said. "It's what makes people turn off from the system."

Brown-Waite can keep her campaign account active for as long as she likes. She can make political donations to other candidates - a maximum of $2,000 per election cycle for federal candidates. Any donations to state or local candidates must comply with local limits.

She also can donate campaign funds to charitable organizations. She may refund contributions to donors, but is not obligated to.

"It's the same situation as it was with (Gov.) Charlie Crist," Hilland said. "A lot of Republicans donated to his senate campaign, and when he decided to run as an independent they wanted their money back. Some of them even sued, but there are no regulations that require a candidate to refund political donations."

Brown-Waite donated $20,000 to the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee. She also donated individually to a handful of candidates. She gave Nugent, her hand-picked successor the maximum $4,000, half for the primary election, half for the general election.

"I plan to stay active this campaign season and will work to get Republicans elected to public office across the country," she wrote in her statement to the Tribune.