Dark money in Texas Senate race spurs Talarico complaint to FEC against Paxton
Summary
The campaign of James Talarico, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Texas, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Republican candidate Ken Paxton. The complaint alleges that Paxton’s campaign treasurer controls a Virginia nonprofit that gave over $1 million to a super PAC supporting Paxton, potentially breaking federal campaign finance rules by hiding donors. The FEC is unlikely to act on the complaint before Election Day due to commission vacancies.Key Facts
- Preserve Texas, Inc. is a Virginia nonprofit that gave over $1 million to a super PAC supporting Ken Paxton.
- Preserve Texas is not registered as a political committee and has not disclosed its donors to the FEC.
- John Plishka, Paxton’s campaign treasurer, incorporated Preserve Texas, raising concerns about coordination.
- The Talarico campaign claims this setup breaks federal rules that limit campaign funding and require transparency.
- Senate campaign contributions are limited to $3,500 per individual per election, and donors over $200 must be disclosed.
- Nonprofits like Preserve Texas do not face the same contribution limits or disclosure rules.
- The FEC currently lacks enough commissioners to open an investigation before the election.
- Paxton-aligned super PAC Lone Star Liberty started a $15 million ad campaign in Texas ahead of the election.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
