Venable partner Ron Jacobs was quoted in a May 13, 2014 Philadelphia Inquirer article on a possible agreement between political candidates’ parents to trade donations. The article focuses on Democratic congressional candidate Kevin Strouse’s parents who sent the maximum contribution limit of $10,400 to U.S. Rep. Ami Bera’s campaign last year. Two days later, Strouse’s campaign received the same amount back from Rep. Bera’s parents. According to campaign finance record, the pattern was repeated at least three more times between the parents of Democrats in close elections in Colorado, Florida, and Illinois. While the donations appear legal, some believe any agreement between the parents could be viewed as an end run around contributions.
According to Jacobs, “Even if there was an agreement, I have a hard time figuring out what law would be broken there.”
According to Jacobs, “Even if there was an agreement, I have a hard time figuring out what law would be broken there.”