Giuliani, Romney giving back to North Texans who gave to them
Star-Telegram Staff Writers
Some North Texans don’t have to file their tax returns to get big refund checks in the mail.
Dozens of area residents who donated to the campaigns of Republicans Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are getting some of that money back.
After ending their presidential bids in February, Romney and Giuliani began returning $84,920 and $53,200, respectively, to Tarrant County donors, according to a Star-Telegram analysis of Federal Election Commission data.
“It’s a very interesting action on the part of Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani that their people sent back donations they didn’t use,” said Allan Saxe, an associate political science professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. “It’s a noble action on their part.
“Once those donors get that money back in the mail, it should make them feel very good about the candidates they originally supported.”
Candidates can legally use those donations for everything from paying campaign debt to funding bids for another federal office, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
With Giuliani and Romney out, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain for the first time became the top money-getter in Tarrant County in both February and overall, the analysis shows.
McCain has raised $437,473 in Tarrant County during this presidential race — $211,087 in February alone.
That may be partly because at least five local donors who received refunds from Romney or Giuliani are believed to have donated the same amount or more to McCain’s campaign, records show.
One of those listed, lawyer Dee Kelly, said, “I gave money to McCain because I wanted to, not because I got a refund from anybody.” Kelly has donated to several candidates.
The other local donors could not be reached for comment Monday.
Presidential candidates who drop out of the race cannot use their campaign funds for personal expenses.
Under federal guidelines, they can either give the donations back within 60 days after dropping out or get donors’ permission to use the money for something else, such as a charity, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
“This shows that Giuliani and Romney were really pretty honorable people,” Saxe said. “Some people loan their own money to the campaign and then pay it back through donations. But they’re returning money, and they’re doing it quickly.”
