DENVER—Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes has gotten nearly $72,000 in reimbursements from his campaign.
The Denver Post reported Wednesday that Maes was reimbursed for expenses such as mileage and travel as well as trips to Wal-Mart. The campaign also paid $14,101 to Maes’ daughter, Jordan, who serves as an executive aide, for work and expenses.
The payments amount to nearly 30 percent of the $304,000 Maes has raised. His top expense was advertising totaling $113,338.
Maes, who has been running for office full time since March 2009, said his campaign doesn’t have a credit card and pays for expenses as they arise.
“Every once in a while we might have left a wallet at home and had to use a personal check or cash,” he said.
GOP political consultant Katy Atkinson told The Associated Press that many campaigns buy food for volunteers and staffers, pay mileage expenses and hire family members. It’s up to campaigns to decide how to label those expenses in spending reports.
Candidates are allowed to hire relatives to work on campaigns. The federal government ruled it was legal when former congressional candidate Scott McInnis paid his wife $40,000 a year in 2005 to be his campaign manager even though he wasn’t running for office.
The Post said third-party candidate Tom Tancredo has reimbursed himself about $3,800 for advertising, office equipment and travel. The former Republican congressman has raised $682,000 since entering the race in July.
Democratic candidate John Hickenlooper, who has raised $3.7 million, hasn’t been reimbursed for any expenses. His campaign has spent $1.7 million on advertising, $843,959 on consultants and employees and $419,825 on fundraising costs.
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Includes information from: The Denver Post,
