Week of August 26 - 30, 2024

Commission meetings and hearings

On August 27 and 29, the Commission met in executive session.

On August 29, the Commission held an open meeting.

Advisory Opinions

Opinions Issued

Advisory Opinion 2024-07 (Team Graham, Inc.) On August 29, the Commission approved an advisory opinion in response to a request from Team Graham, Inc. (Team Graham), the principal campaign committee of Senator Lindsey Graham, regarding its proposed participation in a joint fundraising committee with Graham’s leadership PAC, Fund for America’s Future, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and an independent expenditure-only political committee (Super PAC), Security is Strength PAC. The Commission concluded that Team Graham may participate in the joint fundraising committee as proposed because (1) neither Team Graham nor any other entity established, financed, maintained, or controlled by Senator Graham or acting on behalf of Senator Graham would solicit, receive, direct, transfer, or spend funds that do not comply with the Act’s contribution limits, source prohibitions, and reporting requirements, and (2) Senator Graham, Team Graham, and their agents represented that they would not engage in coordinated communications with the Super PAC. The Commission received three comments on the request and three comments on the drafts. On August 30, Vice Chair Ellen L. Weintraub issued a Statement.

Advisory Opinion 2024-11 (Caroline Gleich) On August 29, the Commission approved an advisory opinion in response to a request from Caroline Gleich. The Commission concluded that it is permissible that (1) the requestor receives compensation from her campaign committee during the 20-day period after she ceases to become a candidate for work performed during her candidacy and (2) the requestor’s proposed appearances in certain paid advertisements would not be coordinated communications if, when published, they fall under the commercial transactions safe harbor. During the discussion, the Commission heard from Counsel for the requestor. The Commission received two comments on the request and two comments on the draft advisory opinion. On August 30, Vice Chair Weintraub issued a Statement.

Opinion Considered

Advisory Opinion Request 2024-06 (American Target Advertising and The Conservative Caucus) On August 29, the Commission discussed and voted on a draft advisory opinion regarding whether and how to report as an independent expenditure a package of materials distributed via mass mailings that contain letters of express advocacy and a check of nominal value payable to the individual recipient of the mailing but that recipients rarely deposit. The Commission was unable to garner the four votes necessary to issue an advisory opinion. During the discussion, the Commission heard from the requestors. The Commission received three comments on the draft advisory opinions.

Enforcement

The Commission made public six closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Search System.

MUR 7997

COMPLAINANT: Theodore Roberts
RESPONDENTS: Wirth for Congress and Christopher Wirth, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); Claire Wirth; and Christopher Wirth
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Claire Wirth, a 2022 candidate for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, and her campaign committee (the Committee) (1) accepted and failed to report as an in-kind contribution the purchase of a Cameo video, (2) accepted and failed to report an in-kind contribution of transportation, (3) failed to report a payment to a campaign employee, (4) accepted and failed to report an in-kind contribution of the transfer of a Facebook page to the Committee from the candidate’s husband Christopher Wirth, and that it (5) failed to include a proper disclaimer on a newspaper ad.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the complaint.

MURs 8016 and 8018

COMPLAINANT: Dennis E. Free; and Nicole Litkowski
RESPONDENTS: Jarome Bell for Congress and Elizabeth Curtis, in her official capacity as treasurer; International Allied Printing Trade Association; Mt. Vernon Printing Company; GDA Wins; and Unknown Respondents
SUBJECT: The complaints alleged that Virginia residents received mailers without proper disclaimers advocating for the candidacy of Bell, a 2022 primary candidate for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, and that the communications were not reported as independent expenditures.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the complaints. Commissioners Allen J. Dickerson, Dara Lindenbaum, and James E. “Trey” Trainor, III and Chairman Sean J. Cooksey and Commissioner Dickerson issued Statements of Reasons.

MUR 8055

COMPLAINANT: End Citizens United and Amanda Bogden
RESPONDENTS: Laxalt for Senate and Cameron Phillips, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); Adam Laxalt; and Morning in Nevada PAC (Morning in Nevada)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Morning in Nevada made and Laxalt and the Committee accepted and failed to report prohibited and excessive in-kind contributions in connection with speeches supporting Laxalt at two fundraising events in August 2021 and August 2022. Laxalt was a 2022 candidate for Nevada’s U.S. Senate seat.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the complaint. Vice Chair Weintraub and Commissioner Shana M. Broussard issued a Statement of Reasons.

MUR 8137

COMPLAINANT: Jeanne Fentress
RESPONDENTS: Brian Stefanich and Allison Stefanich
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Stefaniches fraudulently misrepresented themselves as working on behalf of a 2022 candidate for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat when soliciting contributions via a website.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the complaint.

MUR 8219

COMPLAINANT: Thomas E. Montgomery III
RESPONDENT: Tief Gibbs Jensen 4 Congress 2024 and Staci Goede, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Committee distributed door hangers in support of Jensen’s 2024 campaign for California’s 2nd Congressional District, which failed to include the required disclaimer.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.

Regulations and agency procedures

REG 2019-03 (Mailing Lists) On August 29, the Commission approved a Notice of Disposition of a Petition for Rulemaking by Campaign Legal Center, which was filed on June 28, 2019. The Petition asked the Commission to revise existing reporting rules to state that mailing lists received or disbursed as part of an equal-value exchange must be reported. The Commission is not initiating a rulemaking at this time.

Public Funding

Certification for Payment of Presidential Primary Matching Funds (Mike Pence For President) On August 29, the Commission voted to certify to the Secretary of Treasury a payment from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to Mike Pence, formerly a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, and his committee, Mike Pence for President. At the table, the Commission determined that some additional contributions were matchable and therefore added them to the Audit Division’s originally proposed payment of $272,995.90.

Certification for Payment of Presidential Primary Matching Funds (Jill Stein For President 2024) On August 29, the Commission voted to certify to the Secretary of Treasury a payment of from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to Green Party candidate Jill Stein and her principal campaign committee, Jill Stein for President 2024. At the table, the Commission determined that some additional contributions were matchable and therefore added them to the Audit Division’s originally proposed payment of $276,906.55.

Press releases

FEC approves two advisory opinions, a Notice of Disposition of a rulemaking and certification of matching funds payments to two presidential candidates (issued August 29)

Employment opportunities

The Commission is accepting applications for the position of Associate General Counsel for Litigation through October 4, 2024.

The Commission is accepting applications for the position of Contract Specialist through September 5, 2024.

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

September 17, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.

September 19, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.

Upcoming educational opportunities

September 11, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to host a webinar on Independent Expenditures and Pre-Election Communications.

September 25, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to host FECFile and reporting webinars for candidate committees.

October 9, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to host FECFile and reporting webinars for PACs and party committees.

For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission’s Trainings page.

Upcoming reporting due dates

September 20: September Monthly Reports are due. For more information, see the 2024 Monthly Reporting schedule.

Additional research materials

Election Dates. The Commission has posted 2024 Presidential and Congressional Primary Dates, which are subject to change.

Contribution Limits. In addition to the current limits, the Commission has posted an archive of contribution limits that were in effect going back to the 1975-1976 election cycles.

Federal Elections 2020: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives is available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.

FEC Notify: Want to be notified by email when campaign finance reports are received by the agency? Sign up here.

The Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives and other financial filings.

The Presidential Election Campaign Fund Tax Checkoff Chart provides information on balance of the Fund, monthly deposits into the Fund reported by the Department of the Treasury, payments from the Fund as certified by the FEC, and participation rates of taxpayers as reported by the Internal Revenue Service. For more information on the Presidential Public Funding Program, see the Public Funding of Presidential Elections page.

The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.

Other election-related resources

Videos on protecting U.S. elections. The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides videos designed to help political campaigns protect themselves from foreign influence. The 2019 videos offer guidance on ransomware, business email compromise, supply chain, social media literacy, and foreign influence operations. Other videos, released in 2018, include cyber hygiene topics such as social engineering, patching, router hardening, and app and browser safety.

Join the FEC on X and YouTube

Follow @FEC on X to receive the latest information on agency updates, news releases, and weekly activity. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, FECTube: FECConnect on Demand, to watch instructional videos that have been designed to help candidates and committees comply with federal campaign finance laws. Note that the FEC is not currently available through other social media platforms. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other media has not been authorized by the FEC.