Rep. Jefferson Goes Into Debt in Re-Election Bid

[Ron Burgundy]

CQPolitics - This story is based on a report published by CQ’s Political Money Line on Jan. 10.

Louisiana Democratic Rep. William J. Jefferson overcame harsh allegations of ethical misconduct to win a Dec. 9 House election runoff — securing a ninth term with an unexpectedly comfortable 57 percent to 43 percent win over a fellow Democrat, state Rep. Karen Carter.

But a report by CQ’s Political Money Line shows that snatching victory from the jaws of defeat came at a high personal cost to Jefferson.

The Political Money Line analysis shows that Jefferson’s re-election committee reported that the congressman loaned his campaign $98,000 on Dec. 8, the day before the runoff; he added in $25,000 on Dec. 15 and $25,000 on Dec. 19, for a total of $148,000.

All told, his committee posted receipts of $278,355 and disbursements of $452,442 for a reporting period that ran from Nov. 20 to Dec. 29. The committee paid $153,866 for campaign workers and $158,733 for TV production.
The committee ended the period with $3,159 in cash on hand and debts of $148,000 (equivalent to the amount that Jefferson loaned his campaign from his own resources).

Jefferson won despite a widely publicized federal investigation into whether he took bribes, which still is pending. Though two former business associates of Jefferson’s have pleaded guilty on charges of paying bribes to the congressman, he has denied wrongdoing.