Ethics Watchdog Files FEC Complaint Against Sen. Sherrod Brown & his Campaign Agents Over Illegal Contributions

Evidence shows Sen. Sherrod Brown, Friends of Sherrod Brown, Ohio Democratic Party, & the Brown JFC have solicited excessive contributions for Brown’s Senate campaign

Washington, D.C. --- Today, the non-partisan ethics watchdog the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a complaint urging the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to investigate whether Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio & his campaign have knowingly solicited excessive contributions for his 2024 Ohio Senate campaign.

Sen. Brown and his campaign currently appear to be soliciting campaign contributions above the legal limit for both his primary and general election campaigns. 

With respect to his primary campaign, Sen. Brown's campaign committee reported no outstanding debts in connection with his uncontested primary on March 19. Since then, however, Sen. Brown has continued to actively solicit contributions for this past primary election through a joint fundraising committee—a clear violation of federal law.

Separately, Brown's solicitation of funds through his joint fundraising committee specifically designated that contributions of up to $10,000 made to the Ohio Democratic Party will be spent on his Senate general re-election campaign, namely to fund "voter turnout operation to get Sherrod across the finish line this November." This qualifies the contribution as an earmark and thus legally should be deemed contributions to Sen. Brown. 

The solicitations in both instances above--the past primary election with no debt and the general election--appear to be in excess of the federal legal limits. 

“To prevent corruption in government, federal law limits how much an individual can contribute to a candidate. Obviously this limit applies to candidates in that they cannot ask for or accept a campaign donation above $3,300. In this case, it may look as if Senator Brown is using a complex fundraising scheme, but the reality is it appears he is simply seeking campaign contributions above the legal limit. Of course the law must be strictly enforced against all candidates, but it is especially egregious when a long-serving U.S. Senator seems to be violating this law--and the trust the public has placed in him," said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.

A full copy of the complaint can be found HERE.

FACT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas. For more on FACT, visit https://www.factdc.org/

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