As Professor Schaff noted last night, the Federal Election Commission has written a letter to Daschle about his "2010 candidacy"! It really is a permanent campaign! The FEC says Daschle is not in compliance if he doesn't (1) declare himself a candidate or (2) "disavow [the] activities" of his ongoing permanent campaign. Apparently Daschle ignored the FEC's deadline to respond, which was July 14, but scrambled around yesterday when some reporters called and then wrote a letter. It still doesn't appear that Daschle has clearly done (1) or (2), however. Here's the report from the Rapid City Journal:
The Federal Election Commission wants an official answer from former Sen. Tom Daschle, a Democrat, to the question many of his friends and foes continue to ask informally: Will he run again?
In a letter to Daschle dated June 14 and filed on the FEC Web site, an FEC official informed Daschle that the financial activity in his 2004 campaign committee, A Lot of People Supporting Tom Daschle Inc., had passed a threshold that required him to clarify whether he was a candidate for office in 2010.
Daschle, a 26-year congressional veteran who lost his Senate re-election bid last November to Republican challenger John Thune, said recently he has no immediate plans to run again. But he also declined to rule it out completely.
Daschle maintains his campaign committee, which currently has a balance of about $550,000. Based on activity in that fund, the FEC letter wants an official update of Daschle's status.
"This letter constitutes formal notification that ‘A lot of People Supporting Tom Daschle' has filed reports of receipts and disbursements with the Commission and appears to have received contributions and/or made expenditures in support of your 2010 candidacy in excess of $5,000," FEC official Patricia Carmona wrote in the letter.
Carmona then noted the FEC requirement that takes effect when disbursements or income exceed $5,000. Daschle either must file a statement of candidacy or disavow that candidacy in a letter clarifying that he is "not a candidate for federal office and that you have not authorized solicitation of contributions nor the making of expenditures on your behalf," Carmona wrote.
The letter caused a buzz among Republican activists who suspect Daschle is maintaining his campaign fund to use as a weapon against Thune, possibly to set up a 2010 rematch of last year's bitter Senate campaign. Others speculate that Daschle could be interested in other races, including the 2008 Senate race if incumbent Sen. Tim Johnson doesn't run, or even a bid for president or vice president.
They note the fact that a Sioux Falls consulting firm run by former Daschle campaign manager Steve Hildebrand has been receiving money from the 2004 campaign. And Hildebrand has made statements critical of Thune on key governmental issues. ...
Some Republicans question both the reasons and propriety of what Daschle is doing. Cleta Mitchell, a Washington, D.C. lawyer who works for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Monday that Daschle was pushing the FEC regulations to the point of a violation.
Mitchell said Daschle was supposed to file notice of his candidacy or send a disavowal letter within 30 days of spending more than $5,000 from the campaign fund. Mitchell also questioned the idea of maintaining an active campaign committee without having an official candidate.
"He really is not complying with the normal winding-down responsibilities of a candidate committee where the candidate lost the election," Mitchell said. "They may think this is being very clever, but it's not in keeping with what the FEC requires."
Mitchell said Daschle must declare himself a candidate or change the name of the committee and distance himself from its activities.
"You can't operate a campaign committee without a candidate," she said. ...
Mitchell still questions Daschle's handling of his campaign fund, which is separate from a political action committee fund that Hildebrand will continue to manage. She said there were enough questions on the issue to merit a complaint to the FEC, and she expects one to be filed.
As Jason said a few days ago, Daschle sure isn't doing much for his legacy. Daschle needs to know the campaign is over and that he is getting close to Al Gore territory in the sore loser category.
Blog Watch Man is also interested in the Daschle/FEC story. Sibby is also paying attention to the story. [note: BWM and Sibby haven't really hit it off] Ryne McClaren is also weighing in:
And as Professor Schaff notes, the humor is that the letter to Daschle linked above refers to money being spent "in support of your 2010 candidacy." In essence, they're informing Daschle that he needs to either disavow his spending activities or file a Statement of Candidacy. Crap or exit the lavatory, so to speak.
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