#ncga: STILL paying themselves with campaign funds
Let’s look at our buddy Kelly Hastings’s end-of-year campaign finance report. The Republican state representative from out west had NO opposition in 2016. He’s made a habit of paying himself AND family members out of his campaign fund.
In his fourth quarter report, Hastings was a wee bit upside down. He shows receipts of $1,758.42 but expenditures of $4,175.16. Spending more than you take in? *Where on Earth do you think he learned a bad habit like that?*
Of those expenditures, a total of $1,862.59 went to Hastings himself for “debt payment.” No itemization. No details. Nothing. (Think the Department of Revenue or IRS would accept something like that if we tried that on our returns?)
For the record, according to Hastings’s own campaign report, he has used a total of $5250.75 in campaign funds 
this election cycle for “debt payment.”
And then there’s Hastings’s good friend and neighboring representative Tim Moore. Like Hastings, Moore had no opposition in 2016. He reported using $585 in campaign funds for something called “debt payment.”
Between November 1 and December 5, the Moore campaign paid a total of $10,861.47 to American Express. Again, there is no itemization. No other details. (And there were also no primary nor general election opponents.)
Seriously, why do we even bother having a board of elections?
Sounds like a pair of budding Fletcher Hartsells.
Conservatives need to come up with primary opponents for both of these establishment liberals with questionable campaign finances.
I really am not understanding the problem here with spending more during the 4th quarter of an election cycle than you take in.
Don’t most politicians, including those we like, spend more during the 4th quarter of an election cycle than they take in during that quarter?
Also, not sure why someone who is going to run for re-election during their next cycle shouldn’t spend money even if they are unopposed this cycle since they should keep their campaign organization in top form and their name and presence in the public eye whether they have an opponent or not.
I hope conservative elected officials who don’t have to run again until 2020 spend what they need during the 2018 cycle to be seen and heard and work as hard to stay in the mix as if they did have a race next time.
Just my opinion.
I don’t think these dudes are running any time of voter contact with these expenses. Buying yourself $20K worth of expensive clothes and going on junkets do not get a message out to voters, except maybe that their legislator is on the take.
With an overwhelming majority of House Republicans supporting Rep. Moore as their leader, this would be a great time to become an unaffiliated voter. On the way to the elections office, we could take a few disgruntled Democrats with us. May our tribe of “independents” continue to grow.
Hey Mike, just how is that supposed to do the conservative movement any good whatsoever? Conservative Republicans ran primary candidates against establishment candidates and won some of the races. I so not recall your conservative Unaffiliates filing a single candidate against either a liberal Democrat or a liberal Republican. Not a single solitary one! Your tribe of independents is a bridge to nowhere. Maybe we will see some activity from you in 2018 tp actually try to elect someone, but I doubt it.
The only game in town to actually fight for conservative principles right now is within the GOP. It looks like you can piss and moan as an independent but not much else.
In the county next door to mine, they’re staying registered in the NCGOP just to poke a stick at state leadership whenever they can while they simultaneously transition to the new Federalist Party. Sounds like a plan to me.
CROOKED BASTARDSNEED TO BE REPLACED BY TERM LIMITS
Term limits will only take the power away from long-term elected officials and put it into the hands of monied interests and lobbyists.
we have term limits. They are called elections.
Move along! Nothing to see here! Why do you conservatives always pick on the key progressives in the legislature? The ones like Tim Moore, Kelly Hastings, and Jason Saine who are the footsoldiers for President Obama’s green energy agenda. With progressives like these in the GOP, we do not even need Democrats to sustain President Obama’s green legacy.