LITTLE ROCK — The Federal Election Commission sent letters Monday to 3rd District U.S. Rep. Steve Womack and his former opponent, Ken Aden, requesting more information about their first-quarter campaign filings.
“Thousands” of letters of this type go out every year, said Bob Biersack, senior fellow with the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C., which tracks the influence of money in politics.
But only two such letters have been sent this year to candidates for Congress in Arkansas. The letters are available through the commission’s website at fec.gov.
Both letters to the Womack and Aden campaigns were from Laura Sinram, an FEC senior campaign-finance analyst.
Her letter to Michael Eldredge, treasurer for the Womack campaign, noted three cases of what appear to be “excessive, prohibited” or “impermissible” contributions.
Eldredge didn’t return a telephone message seeking comment.
The Womack campaign received a total of $6,500 from the American Bankers Association Political Action Committee and the Arkansas Bankers Association PAC, which the commission viewed as committees that are affiliated with each other. The limit for contributions from affiliated committees for one election is $5,000, the letter noted.
The American Bankers Association PAC gave the campaign a total of $5,000 in three donations last year. The Arkansas Bankers Association PAC donated $1,500 to the campaign Feb. 21, the letter stated. All contributions were made before the May 22 primary. Womack, as the only Republican in the race, had no opponent in the primary.
The last donation was made in error, said Eric Munson, senior vice president for governmental affairs for the Arkansas Bankers Association. “We are making corrections now. We make contributions out of two locations. Every state banking association has a shared, related PAC with the American Bankers Association,” he said.
Munson wouldn’t explain how the error would be corrected.
“It will be handled out of our Washington office with proper reporting documentation,” he said, referring to the American Bankers Association.
The letter to Eldredge also noted a contribution from an unregistered organization: $250 from Lamoureux for Senate 2012.
Sinram noted that contributions from unregistered organizations are permissible under certain circumstances.
“Please clarify whether the contribution received ... is permissible,” Sinram wrote in her letter to Eldredge.
State Sen. Michael Lamoureux, R-Russellville, is running unopposed for Senate District 16, which includes Pope and Newton counties, and parts of Boone, Carroll and Van Buren counties.
Lamoureux said in an email that he checked with the FEC before making the donation, and someone at the commission said making the donation would be acceptable under the rules.
Sinram’s letter also notes two $2,000 contributions made from Womack’s campaign to the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford in Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District. Both of those donations were made Feb. 25 and exceed the limit that can be donated by $2,000.
The letter explains the process to refund or “redesignate” contributions, which can be done within two months of receipt of a donation.
In a similar letter to the Aden campaign, Sinram noted that donations from political action committees weren’t itemized and the value of inkind donations wasn’t included in the total.
Aden, a Democrat, withdrew from the race July 9 after it was found that he had exaggerated his military and academic records.
Womack has raised $650,031 through June 30 and spent $245,658, leaving him with $481,136 in cash, according to his latest FEC filing.
Aden had raised $40,200 through June 30 and spent $39,639, leaving him with $776 in cash.
Two other candidates remain in the race: Rebekah Kennedy of Fort Smith for the Green Party and Libertarian David Pangrac of Van Buren. Neither Kennedy nor Pangrac have filed forms with the FEC, which is required when they reach $5,000 in contributions or expenditures.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 07/25/2012