The Intercept: Mix of State and Federal Funding Raises Questions About Danny Davis Campaign Committees

LIKE SEVERAL MEMBERS of the Illinois Democratic Party Central Committee, Rep. Danny Davis pulls from two campaign coffers: a state committee and a federal one. But Davis’s state committee has far outspent those of his peers, including on itemized spending for “campaign work” as recently as last quarter.

Some of that work falls under Davis’s role as a member of the state central committee, where he works alongside Reps. Bobby Rush, Chuy Garcia, and Robin Kelly, who chairs the state party. Some is less clear cut: An ad buy from Davis’s state committee touted his federal work, and some of the same staff run Davis’s state and federal offices.

This year, Davis is up for reelection to both the state committee and his federal office, which he has held since 1997. At the federal level, the 13-term representative faces two challengers in a June 28 primary fueled by criticism over a perceived lack of urgency. While the Illinois Democrat has voted with his party on major issues and racked up progressive bona fides, his long tenure has eroded the pressure many other officials face to push for more aggressive action on the biggest issues facing Chicago, from gun violence to poverty. Some have criticized him for what they view as an out-of-touch perspective on social issues. …

eyond concerns about the general malaise of a long incumbency, Davis must now contend with scrutiny over his use of state and federal campaign resources. As the Chicago Tribune noted earlier this month, Davis uses both his federal and state committees to fundraise, “raising questions about whether he has used his local campaign fund to augment his federal reelection bids.”

Part of Davis’s job as a state party central committee member is to recruit candidates and help them run for office, which provides an entirely legitimate reason for “campaign work” spending from Davis’s state committee.

Candidates seeking more than one possible office at the same time face the additional burdens to “be very careful in their allocations,” said Beth Rotman, money in politics and ethics program director at Common Cause. “Here, that would be demonstrating in Illinois, and also federally, that the candidate is complying with two sets of rules at the same time. … You have a higher burden, because you can essentially make a mistake in either direction.”

Davis’s state committee has raised significant funds via direct contributions from corporations and LLCs, which Illinois law allows but federal campaign finance regulations prohibit. Such contributions to Davis’s state committee including the GEO Group, a major for-profit prison company, along with medical, construction, and consulting firms.

“Some agencies are better than others at actually taking a look at whether campaigns are complying,” Rotman said. “Campaigns have to be very vigilant. It’s not necessarily the case that anyone is doing anything wrong.”