FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4th, 2024
CONTACT:
Coby Eiss
[email protected]
CALVERT USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO CAMPAIGN IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE MARCH 5 PRIMARY
Office claims to be taking advantage of House rules loophole
CORONA, C.A. — As recently reported in the Coachella Valley Independent, Ken Calvert’s official office exploited a loophole to use taxpayer dollars this month to send communications to voters framing Calvert’s work as “Making Washington Work for You.”
“Calvert will use any trick in the book to use your hard-earned dollars to benefit himself,” said Rollins. “He’s used earmarks on Capitol Hill to benefit his own real estate investments and has consistently been named one of the most corrupt members of Congress. I’m running for Congress to turn the page from his 30+ years of self-dealing, and start making Washington work for you again, not the insiders and special interests.”
The Committee on House Administration clearly states, “[a] Member may not send any unsolicited mass mailing or mass communication less than 60 days immediately before the date of any primary or general election (whether regular, special or runoff) in which the Member is a candidate for public office.”
In response, Calvert’s office claimed that they were taking advantage of a loophole that allows the office to send under 500 pieces during the blackout period. Calvert’s actions are nothing new. In the 2022 campaign cycle, Calvert also sent government-funded communications in the blackout period ahead of the June 2022 primary. You can read the Rollins campaign’s press release on that potential violation here.
“The least Calvert could do here is demonstrate some proof to his constituents that his office did in fact comply with the 500 household limit,” said Coby Eiss, Rollins’ Campaign Manager. “In Congress, Will Rollins will introduce legislation to close this loophole, so that no Member of Congress can use taxpayer dollars to support a campaign operation in the days leading up to an election. Calvert is used to making Washington work for himself, not for working people. Will is going to fight to change our broken system — that’s why he’s already supporting banning members of Congress from trading stocks and a lifetime ban on former members of Congress from lobbying.”
California’s 41st District is shaping up to be a key 2024 matchup that will help decide the House majority. Punchbowl News called it the #2 most critical race in the battle for control of the House, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recently added Rollins to its coveted “Red to Blue” program.
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Will Rollins is a Palm Springs resident and Southern California native. A former federal counterterrorism prosecutor, he is now running for Congress in California’s 41st Congressional District.
