politics
A government accountability group filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday against Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, accusing him of multiple campaign finance violations.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) has asked the FEC to investigate whether Brown, 71, and other entities connected to his campaign illegally solicited excessive campaign contributions during the 2024 election cycle.
The battleground state senator, who is challenging Republican businessman Bernie Moreno, who is backed by Trump, to keep his Senate seat, is accused of soliciting donations for his primary campaign “long after the Ohio primary election took place,” according to the lawsuit.
FACT noted that Brown, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and had a cash surplus of nearly $16 million after the election, did not incur any “obvious” debts from his primary campaign and that the donations could have been properly used to repay them.
The watchdog group also found that some donations to the Ohio Democratic Party were improperly “allocated” to the Brown campaign or were intentionally earmarked for spending on Brown's behalf in the 2024 general election. It is also claimed that
The complaint names Brown, the Friends of Sherrod Brown (his main campaign committee), the Ohio Grassroots Victory Fund (its joint fundraising committee), and the Ohio Democratic Party as respondents.
“Donors to the Brown JFC donated to the Ohio Democratic Party knowing that the money would be spent on the party's “vote collection and turnout operations,'' apparently on behalf of Sherrod Brown.'' “We have reason to believe that all amounts contributed to States Parties through Brown JFC must be considered general election contributions to Sherrod,” the complaint states.
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FACT quoted language on the Ohio Grassroots Victory Fund's donation page, which said that all donations to the joint fundraising committee “will help fund the state Democratic Party's get-out-the-vote and voter turnout efforts” to get Sherrod to the finish line this November.
“The Commission should seek appropriate sanctions against Mr. Brown and his agents for any violations, including civil penalties sufficient to deter future violations,” FACT demanded.
Brown's campaign did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
Ohio is a state that is trending rightward, and Republicans are seen as a possibility for a Senate victory in this election.
Voters in the Buckeye State have supported Republican candidates in four of the past six presidential elections since 2000, with former President Donald Trump leading President Biden by 8 percentage points in 2020.
Republicans only need to gain two seats to retake the Senate in November.
Mr. Brown is one of the most liberal Democrats in the Senate and served three terms in the Senate.
