What happens to all of Dean's money if he drops out early?

[ringmastery]

Let's say he gets 4th place in NH and then tanks on Feb. 3rd. and has to drop out. Who gets his money or would he continue on even without hope and be a vanity candidate?

[eileen_d]

1. Dibs!

(ducks and runs)

[Disandra]

4. Wet noodle slap for you!

Sorry, I'm just sick of arguing, so I thought I would be silly.

:silly:

[Paragon]

2. Dream on

:eyes:

Don't you have anything better to do?

[evil_orange_cat]

17. It's a legitimate question... especially considering Iowa's results

the media made Dean the front runner, and they were proven wrong... but nevertheless, the question still stands.

[aquart]

3. We'll never know, will we?

If he has money, he does not have to drop out.

[ringmastery]

6. He has about 10-15 million in the bank I believe

I'm just curious what the law is. Can he transfer the money to another campaign?

[RichV]

5. I understand he'd have to pay off any debts

But then what? Could he just return the dough? Personally, I don't see him dropping out until he's out of funds. His support looks like it's broad enough for him to stay in for at least most of February if not early March. Assuming he doesn't tank in NH and everywhere on 2/3 like you hypothetically suggest.

[creativelcro]

7. his supporters split it. Pretty obvious.

[bhunt70]

8. shopping trip and an "Iron John Retreat"

to work on his primal scream technique.

[LuminousX]

9. Kegger... YEEEAAGH!!

[creativelcro]

10. Uh, I guess kerry is gonna work on his "f" word a little...

[windansea]

11. neck elongation surgery

costs about $10 mil

[robsul82]

12. Then Britney Spears comes and (has intercourse with) you...KEEP DREAMING.

Hah.

Later.

RJS

[madrchsod]

13. he`s giving it to me...

ask and you shall recieve

[arewethereyet]

14. its his to keep ! Dean's money indeed !

cha-ching !

I bet he goes to Disney World ! Or perhaps to see a tailor.

[eyesroll]

15. Okay, actual answer

Let's, for the sake of argument, say he drops out. (This applies to any candidate, BTW, not just Dean.)

First, he has to pay off bills, debts, etc. He has to pay his staff through whatever their contracts (if there was a contract) or his policy states, and at the very least, he has to pay them for time worked, including wind-down time. Remember, Dean's got a lot of paid staff, and he's burned through a lot of cash in Iowa and New Hampshire. I'd be interested to see what his cash-on-hand totals look like.

If there is money left over, he can transfer certain amounts to other Democratic candidates for federal office, the DNC and other related committees. He can also contribute some to charity. There are a couple of other things he can do with the money, but I don't remember what.

He can also keep his account active for a House or Senate run, or a future presidential run (I'm not sure exactly what the rules are, but candidates can use funds solicited for one federal election or office to run for another).

[funky_bug]

16. Foaming at the mouth

leaves a bitter after-taste.

Dean ain't goin' nowhere! Get used to it. And I for one do not want him to. While I do not favor him over several of the candidates, I do not want him dropping out. He keeps the party hopping, and keeps the voters excited.

[Monument]

18. With a $15Mil war chest, you are never dead

[evil_orange_cat]

19. Money matters, but not THAT much. Look at Steve Forbes.

He was the richest Repuke in 2000. Money is great. But it's not everything.