George Santos is refunding more money than he's raising, only received $1700 from donors [View all]

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/15/george-santos-campaign-account-refunds-new-debts-00121630

George Santos is refunding more money than he’s raising
The filing comes as Santos faces legal trouble related in part to his handling of campaign funds and past reports with the FEC.

Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) issued more money in refunds than he took in from donors last quarter, calling into question his ability to run for reelection next year.

His campaign also disclosed debt from last year that was not properly reported at the time — or in filings since.

Santos’ campaign refunded more than $35,000 to donors between July and September while taking in only $1,704 in new donations, according to his latest campaign finance report. His campaign also spent more than $42,000 over the period, $20,000 of which was classified as legal expenses. That left him with less than $23,000 in his campaign account.

The filing also for the first time disclosed more than $120,000 owed to vendors seemingly dating back to 2022 for expenses including election night catering and a “mail fundraising” program. Campaigns are allowed to take on such debts, but they are supposed to be reported on the filing for that quarter as well as every subsequent filing. A line in Sunday’s report said Santos’ current treasurer only became “aware of prior debt in the current period.” His treasurer did not immediately respond to an inquiry about when the debt was incurred