White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s unsuccessful 2022 congressional campaign hasn’t repaid more than $326,000 in excess contributions, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Levitt’s outstanding campaign debt, which was first reported in January by the nonpartisan group NOTUS, stems from her long-shot bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District. Pappas won reelection with about 54% of the vote.
But the latest FEC disclosures show that the Republican’s campaign still owes $326,370.50 as of July, much of it from individual contributions that exceeded federal limits during the 2022 election cycle.
The FEC filing shows Levitt’s campaign owes $46,747.87 to Axiom Strategies, a Missouri-based political consulting firm, and $41,000 to pollster Remington Research Group for campaign-related research. Other outstanding debts are owed to development firms, businesses and individuals whose contributions exceeded the limits.
In 2022, the FEC limited individual campaign contributions to $2,900 for both the primary and general elections, or $5,800 per election cycle. Under federal law, congressional campaigns are supposed to refund excess contributions within 60 days of it being received. The latest FEC filings show her campaign didn’t issue any refunds during the previous quarter.
Levitt’s campaign raised and spent more than $3.8 million on her failed congressional bid, FEC filings show. The disclosures show that her former campaign doesn’t have any funds remaining in its account.
The left-leaning group End Citizens United filed an FEC complaint against Leavitt’s committee in 2022 alleging that it violated campaign finance law by accepting contributions that exceeded federal limits.
But the FEC, which currently lacks a quorum with only three commissioners, hasn’t ruled on the case.
“The FEC has yet to rule on the case, which is now a long shot after Trump left the agency toothless,” the group said in a recent social media post. “Leavitt’s case lets corrupt leaders know they can game the system, break campaign finance law, and get away with it — which is exactly what Trump wants.”
