Open Secrets: Bayh is back -- With a Bulging War Chest
Personal use of leftover campaign funds is is the only major limitation on how they’re spent. Former lawmakers “can’t pocket the money, but they can keep that committee open and that money in the bank for as long as they want,” said Paul S. Ryan, deputy executive director of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. Because federal law does not require that contributions be earmarked for use in a specific election, all of the remaining money is open for Bayh to use in a new campaign, Ryan noted.