GHOST OF RON PAUL SPOTTED IN MINNESOTA: Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) campaign last spent money on the Republican presidential primaries in May. But the super PAC backing his campaign spent tens of thousands of dollars in August in support of five Minnesota congressional challengers, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Endorse Liberty, the PAC that supported Paul, spent a total of $29,000 for Facebook ads on behalf of five Republican candidates in Minnesota races last month. About three-fourths of that went to Kurt Bills, who is running against incumbent Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

In July, Endorse Liberty spent $131,000 on four Republican congressional candidates, $123,000 of it going to Senate candidate Ted Cruz (R-TX).

The PAC received a total of $36,000 in August, all from Stephen Oskoui, owner of Smiley Media. Oskoui has now contributed over $5.4 million to Endorse Liberty. The PAC outspent what it received in August by almost four-fold, increasing its debt to $146,000.

There’s no reference point for what these ghost PACs — formed for the purpose of supporting one candidate — do with their funds once their candidate drops out. This is the first cycle they have existed.

Winning Our Future, the super PAC that supported former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s (R-Ga.) presidential run, spent more than $60,000 of the almost $430,000 it had at the beginning of August, mostly in administrative costs. The group didn’t contribute to any candidates or receive any donations for the entire month.

Likewise, the Red, White and Blue Fund, the super PAC that supported former Sen. Rick Santorum’s (R-Penn.) presidential run, spent $11,000 of its $249,000 in August, none of it on races. Santorum has been directly involved in the super PAC since April, after dropping out of the Republican primary that month.

In July, the 9-9-9 Fund — the super PAC that supported Herman Cain of Georgia — reported that it spent $33 in the second quarter.

Photo of Ron Paul via flckr user Gage Skidmore



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