Amid donor blowback, Josh Hawley’s fundraising problems get even more complicated – By Roger Sollenberger (Salon) / January 20 2021
Hawley gets FEC warning as “horrified” Disney resort cancels “fun-filled” fundraiser Salon reported on last week
The campaign for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., received a notice from the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday for failing to disclose its affiliation with two joint fundraising committees. The notice comes as a Disney World-area resort cancels a Hawley fundraiser, citing the Republican’s role in the Capitol riots as well as safety concerns for guests and staff.
The Hawley campaign responded to the FEC promptly by updating its statement of organization with the two committees, the Indiana/Missouri Victory Committee and the Hawley Win Fund. Indiana/Missouri Victory is a joint vehicle between Hawley, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., and former Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Vice President Mike Pence’s Great America Committee. The Hawley Win Fund pairs Hawley’s campaign with the NRSC and Republican National Committee.
In 2018, when Hawley ran for Senate, FEC records show that his campaign received more than $70,000 from Indiana/Missouri and around $180,000 from Hawley Win Fund. Both committees were largely dormant this year, except for a number of small-dollar transfers executed in late September, mostly with the RNC. The Hawley campaign did not immediately respond to Salon’s emailed questions about the nature of those transfers.
Last week, Salon was first to report that Hawley’s leadership PAC, Fighting for Missouri, had announced in an awkwardly-designed email (including a number of fonts chosen seemingly at random) that it would hold a three-day “fun-filled-family-friendly” fundraiser at an Orlando-area hotel in February. The next day the resort, Loews Portofino Bay, pronounced itself “horrified” and announced in a statement, without mentioning Hawley’s name, that his campaign event was no longer welcome
