Rep. Lori Trahan questioned about $371,000 in campaign funds spent in final days before election
In the last month of a hard fought primary race for a House seat in Massachusetts’ third Congressional District, Lori Trahan spent $481,000 on television advertising — far outpacing her spending in months prior and contributing to her win. Trahan won the primary by a narrow margin, beating second-place finisher Dan Koh, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s former chief of staff, by 145 votes. She soundly defeated the Republican candidate in November.
Adav Noti, a Washington, D.C.-based campaign finance expert, who reviewed Trahan’s filings at the Globe’s request said he believes her campaign donations were possibly illegally given to her by her husband David Trahan, a home builder. Election laws allow candidates to donate or loan unlimited funds from a personal account or bank loan to their campaign. But money from anyone else, including a spouse, is subject to the contribution cap of $2,700, according to FEC rules.