The News & Observer: Anti-debt Crusader Rand Paul Owes More Than $300,000 in Presidential Campaign Bills
Even if he has to start over after an expensive Senate race, Paul shouldn’t have any problem retroactively collecting money for his failed presidential campaign as long as voters send him back to Congress, said Paul Ryan, deputy executive director of the Campaign Legal Center in Washington.
“Any seated federal officeholder, the wealthy donors who want special access to them, they’re always happy to break open their checkbooks when asked,” Ryan said. “Donors want to get in good with the politician. They want their calls returned. They won’t care if he’s asking for checks for his next Senate race or his last presidential race or his leadership PAC, past, present or future, whatever. They’ll just write him a check.”
“The only time you see campaign debts that cannot be repaid is when an officeholder loses, because then, he has nothing to offer,” Ryan said. “It’s troubling, yes, but that’s the way it works in Washington.”