A authorities accountability group filed a grievance in opposition to Sen. Sherrod Brown to the Federal Election Fee on Wednesday, accusing the Ohio Democrat of a number of marketing campaign finance violations.
The Basis for Accountability and Civic Belief (FACT) has requested that the FEC examine whether or not Brown, 71, and different teams related along with his marketing campaign unlawfully solicited extreme marketing campaign contributions throughout the 2024 election cycle.
The swing-state senator, who’s working in opposition to Trump-backed Republican businessman Bernie Moreno to maintain his seat within the higher chamber, allegedly solicited donations for his main election marketing campaign “lengthy after Ohio’s main election occurred,” in line with the grievance.
FACT notes that Brown, who ran unopposed within the Democratic main and had an almost $16 million cash-on-hand surplus after the election, incurred “no obvious” main election marketing campaign debt for which the donations may have appropriately been used to repay.
The watchdog group additionally claims that some contributions to the Ohio Democratic Social gathering had been inappropriately “earmarked” for the Brown marketing campaign “or in any other case knowingly designated for spending on behalf of Brown within the 2024 common election.”
The grievance names Brown, Pals of Sherrod Brown (his principal marketing campaign committee), Ohio Grassroots Victory Fund (a joint fundraising committee) and the Ohio Democratic Social gathering as respondents.
“There’s cause to consider contributors to the Brown JFC have been making contributions to the Ohio Democratic Social gathering with information that their funds shall be spent on the celebration’s ‘get-out-the-vote and voter turnout operation’ explicitly for Sherrod Brown,” the grievance fees, “that means all quantities contributed to the state celebration by the Brown JFC have to be deemed general-election contributions to Sherrod
Brown.”
FACT cites language on Ohio Grassroots Victory Fund contribution web page which states that every one contributions made to the joint fundraising committee “will fund” the state Democratic Social gathering’s “get-out-the-vote and voter turnout operation to get Sherrod throughout the end line this November.”
“The Fee ought to search acceptable sanctions in opposition to Brown and his brokers for any and all violations, together with civil penalties ample to discourage future violations,” FACT demanded.
The Brown marketing campaign didn’t reply to The Put up’s request for remark.
Ohio is seen as a possible Republican pickup alternative within the Senate this cycle because of the state’s rightward swing.
Buckeye State voters have backed the GOP candidate in 4 of the final six presidential elections since 2000, with former President Donald Trump beating President Biden by eight share factors in 2020.
Republicans solely must flip a web of two seats to retake the Senate in November.
Brown, among the many most liberal Democrats within the Senate, has served three phrases within the higher chamber.
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