Democrats Lure Donors with World Series, ‘Hamilton’ Contests

Federal Election Commission rules say campaign funds can be used for travel expenses or admission to sporting events, theater performances and other entertainment if it's part of a specific campaign activity. "The giveaways are treated as a fundraising expense, and that's what makes them permissible," said Adav Noti, senior director and chief of staff at the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center and a former lawyer for the FEC. Yang announced during the September debate that he would use campaign funds to give $1,000 a month for a year to 10 random families to demonstrate the concept of the universal basic income, the cornerstone of his campaign. Yang has said the giveaway is legal, though Noti said it's "at best a gray area" because Yang wasn't offering it to donors, making it harder to justify giving away cash to random families as a fundraising expense.

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