Nearly $2.3 million in campaign contributions raised by 16 House and Senate members this cycle have gone to the lawmakers themselves to repay loans they made in past campaigns — two of them more than a decade ago.
Some candidates who lost are also still raising money, and repaying themselves. Republican Mehmet Oz, the television personality who lost the Pennsylvania Senate race in November, for example, paid himself $1.2 million this year, a CQ Roll Call analysis of new disclosures found.
While campaign contributions cannot legally be spent by candidates or office holders for personal expenses, that prohibition does not include loan repayments. Indeed, the Supreme Court in May 2022 struck down a $250,000 cap and time limits on repayments, agreeing with plaintiff Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that they were an unconstitutional burden on the free speech rights of wealthy candidates.
