Topline: It’s a bit difficult to run for reelection with only $95,000 in campaign cash on hand, but Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) found a way around that issue.
He billed taxpayers $335,000 last year to mail out “constituent communications” showcasing his own accomplishments, according to The Tennessean.
Key facts: Ogles published 63 different mailers and digital ads approved by an oversight committee since January 2023, The Tennessean reported.
The mail expense included in Congressional office budgets is technically supposed to be for spreading important information about town halls or new laws, but it’s often used by members of both parties to send pseudo campaign ads.
Two other Republican representatives from Tennessee, Diana Harshbarger and David Kustoff, also spent more than $200,000 on their communications.
The letters cannot directly reference elections or attack political rivals.
Also in May, Ogles admitted to mistakes that misled the Federal Election Commission about how much money his campaign had available. Ogles filed paperwork in April 2022 stating that he had loaned $320,000 of his own money to the campaign, but he now says he only loaned $20,000 and pledged to donate more if necessary.
Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.
Background: Ogles and other Congress members can send communications through the “franking” privilege that gives a campaign advantage to incumbents and leaves constituents with the bill.
The Senate caps franked mail spending at $50,000, but in the House it’s unlimited.
The privilege can’t be used 90 days before an election, but prior to that, any form of communication is fair game: physical mail, internet ads, radio broadcasts and more.
Supporting quote: "Many people in middle Tennessee still don’t know who their Congressman is,” Ogles said in a statement to The Tennessean. “It is important that constituents know who their representative is, how my staff and I can assist with their needs, and the ways in which I’m effecting change on their behalf in D.C.”
Summary: Most constituents have access to Google as well as snail mail. Ogles’ campaign ads might lose their effect once voters realize they’re the ones paying for them.
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