Kyle Chouinard
11/02/24
(Las Vegas Sun) Drew Johnson, a Republican nominee challenging Democratic incumbent Rep. Susie Lee for her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, picked up campaign support from the National Republican Congressional Committee after reaching benchmarks from the national organization.
Johnson hit that threshold with what could be considered creative fundraising: He donated $422,000 to his campaign Aug. 18. A month later, on Sept. 20, Johnson was announced as one six new selections to the NRCC’s “Young Gun” program. The NRCC program can give candidates additional support in fundraising, communications and staffing. Twelve days after Johnson was announced as a Young Gun, the campaign repaid the personal loan. Without that loan, the amount of cash Johnson had on hand at the beginning of October was shy of $64,000.
Tiffany Muller, president of campaign finance watchdog End Citizens United, said the loan raised “a lot of red flags.”
“The timeline of events would suggest that he did this to secure a spot on the NRCC’s Young Guns list and all the benefits it brings,” Muller, whose organization exclusively investigates Republicans, wrote in a statement to the Sun.
“We’ve never seen a candidate loan their campaign money in such a strange, inefficient, and shady manner — to then pay themselves back before the election,” Muller wrote.