Kevin De León has millions in state political accounts that he can't use for U.S. Senate campaign
When California Senate leader Kevin de León launched a run for the U.S. Senate last week, he had $3.8 million in campaign cash and a big problem: The money was raised for state contests and can’t just be rolled into his effort to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 2018.
Federal law prohibits transferring funds raised for state committees into a campaign for U.S. Senate.
Legal experts and political strategists say there are legal, though heavily restricted, ways that some money raised for state campaigns could end up helping De León (D-Los Angeles) with his quest for Washington, but the path is fraught with potential controversy as opponents will scrutinize every move for a possible complaint to the Federal Election Commission.
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Federal law restricts contributions by candidates to super PACs that support them with an eye toward making sure each committee keeps “its independence, which is required by law,” said Corey Goldstone, a spokesman for the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center based in Washington.