Candidates spend gifts — on what?
That includes paying for the candidate's cable TV at home.
Or for hiring the candidate's relatives.
Or paying to fix the candidate's car.
Or buying gifts. Or a lot of food.
Or even for giving large chunks of money away to others.
Utah candidates for Congress have done all of that and more this election cycle, according to disclosure forms. Such spending comes as some candidates try to economize even by declaring that paid workers are contractors to avoid payroll taxes.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has raised millions more than most candidates, so not surprisingly he was able to afford some of the more unusual items.
For example, he spent $13,177 on "gifts for constituents." (Of note for comparison, that is almost as much as the $17,682 total raised for all campaign purposes as of June 30 by Democratic 3rd District candidate Christian Burridge.)
Dave Hansen, Hatch's campaign manager, said the gifts include pocket-sized copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence for visitors to his office. "He can't pay for that out of regular Senate funds, so he uses campaign funds."
Hatch also spent $7,726 on flowers. "Those are mostly for funerals or people who are in the hospital," Hansen said. Hatch also spent nearly $10,000 on preparing, printing and mailing Christmas cards.
Hatch's campaign also paid $1,872 for repairs and insurance for a "campaign car" that Hansen said is used to transport Hatch while he is in Utah. It also paid $784 for cable TV service at the senator's home in suburban Virginia. "That is for basic service, mostly so the senator can have access to things like C-SPAN (which broadcasts proceedings of Congress) at home," Hansen said.
While politicking isn't necessarily considered a business, Hatch's campaign also paid $900 in dues to be a member of the St. George Chamber of Commerce.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, is a multimillionaire. But he had three of his children working on his campaign, for pay.
Jane Cannon was paid $1,500, Laura Cannon $2,750 and Matt Cannon $318. Nathan Rathbun, Cannon's campaign manager, said the amounts were small, and all have left the campaign now for other jobs or to attend school.
Cannon's campaign also hired Kathleen Hunter, the wife of Cannon's congressional chief of staff, Joe Hunter, to organize various campaign events. She was paid $2,000.
Most campaigns spent surprisingly big amounts on food and places to eat it. For example, Hatch spent at least $104,000 on such things; Cannon spent at least $30,000; Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, spent almost $20,000; and Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, spent more than $1,500.
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