DeSantis accused of violating campaign finance laws by watchdog group

• DeSantis and his state PAC are being accused of violating campaign finance laws in a new FEC complaint.
• The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center says they violated election laws prohibiting the use of soft money.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his state political action committee allegedly violated federal campaign finance laws by directing or transferring more than $80 million to a federal super PAC, Never Back Down, the nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center says in a new complaint.

The complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday says DeSantis and the Florida-based PAC violated election laws prohibiting the use of soft money, which isn't subject to federal limits and reporting requirements. DeSantis announced on May 24 that he is running for the GOP presidential nomination.

"Soft money undermines federal campaign finance laws because it is, by definition, money raised and spent outside the scope of those laws," Saurav Ghosh, the Center's director of federal campaign finance reform, said in a statement. "Laws banning these funds from being used to seek federal office are there for a reason – to prevent corruption, promote transparency, and ensure that wealthy special interests can't rig the system even further in their favor."

Representatives for DeSantis, Never Back Down, and the state PAC Friends of Ron DeSantis — which was recently renamed "Empower Parents PAC — did not respond to a request for comment.

DeSantis established the state PAC in 2018 and used it to raise mor than $225 million through May 2023. Never Back Down is a federal super PAC that raises unlimited funds to make independent expenditures. The PAC has been running ads and the complaint says it has already spent more than $944,000 to promote DeSantis' presidential candidacy.

The complaint claims "publicly available information indicates" that DeSantis became a candidate before his public announcement and should be bound by rules prohibiting the spending of soft money in federal elections. The group calls on the FEC to investigate the transfer of funds and seek appropriate sanctions for any violations.