“Federal law says ‘no person shall make a contribution in the name of another person,’” Mr. Ryan stated. “Here, the candidate is making a contribution to himself in the name of all these individual donors.”
Richard L. Hasen, a regulation professor on the University of California, Los Angeles, who makes a speciality of election regulation, stated that sometimes, campaigns ask the Federal Election Commission when participating in new types of donations.
The Burgum marketing campaign’s maneuver, he stated, “certainly seems novel” and “raises concerns about whether it violates the prohibition on straw donations.”
But a few of the authorized uncertainty, Mr. Hasen added, stems from the truth that “functionally, campaigns spend a lot of money to get small donations, especially in cases like this where they’re trying to reach a debate threshold.”
Mr. Burgum isn’t alone in utilizing his immense wealth — he’s a billionaire former software program government — to bolster his marketing campaign.
Perry Johnson, a businessman who additionally introduced a hopeful bid for the Republican presidential nomination and who ran for Michigan governor final yr, has spent $80,000 to $90,000 on adverts selling $1 hats that learn, “I identify as ‘Non-Bidenary,’” Facebook data present. His marketing campaign stated in a current advert that it had reached 10,000 donors.
To qualify for the primary presidential debate, candidates will need to have a minimal of 200 distinctive donors per state or territory in 20 states and territories, in response to the Republican National Committee, which set the foundations. They should additionally garner at the very least 1 p.c in a number of nationwide or early-voting state polls acknowledged by the committee.
Shane Goldmacher contributed reporting.
Source: www.nytimes.com