KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Freshman Republican Congressman Steve Watkins[1] of Kansas has forgiven $225,100 in loans he made to his 2018 campaign, according to a letter filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The Kansas City Star reports Watkins[2] had given his campaign nearly half a million dollars in loans during the seven-way GOP primary for an open eastern Kansas congressional seat.
Watkins[3]‘ loans represented a substantial amount of his declared wealth at the time, which was somewhere between $440,053 and $2.7 million, according to required personal financial disclosure forms. Federal campaign finance rules allow candidates to lend unlimited amounts of their own money to their campaigns and to forgive the loans.
Watkins[4]‘ father, Steven Watkins Sr., contributed more than $765,000 to a super political action committee to help his son win the primary.Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. ...