Craig James Didn't Get Your Vote, But He'd Really Like it if You Chipped in a Couple Bucks to Pay off All That Campaign Debt

By Eric Nicholson Thu., Aug. 2 2012 at 2:00 PM

Well that wasn't very successful.

You remember Craig James, right? The SMU football star-turned ESPN broadcaster-turned stick-pin doll of Red Raiders everywhere? And how he ran for Senate and lost in embarrassing fashion?

Well, losing that badly isn't cheap, and seeing as he doesn't really have a job at the moment, he's having trouble paying off his campaign debt, as the Star-Telegram noted today.

"First and foremost, the Message" -- the 'M' is presumably capitalized because James was merely acting God's earthly representative -- "was well received across the great State of Texas," he wrote in a letter to a supporter who kicked in $5. And it really was an awesome campaign that totally would have been successful if there had only been more time and money, which prompts James to bring up a related point.

"Unfortunately, we are left with debt. It's difficult to raise funds after a defeat. I was honored to have had your support and would ask you to consider another donation to Craig James for U.S. Senate to help me retire this debt. Federal law allows an individual to contribute up to $2,500 and $5,000 for a couple."

Because a guy who chipped in $5 to a losing campaign is obviously going to increase his contribution by several orders of magnitude to a candidate whose already lost.

James doesn't mention exactly how much cash he needs in the letter, but according to his final campaign filing, he spent about $300,000.

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kergo1spaceship

Maybe Craig and Adam can ask Mike Leach for a few bucks?

ps-IS IT TRUE CRAIG JAMES KILLED 5 DEAD HOOKERS AT SMU?

Sotiredofitall topcommenter

@kergo1spaceship If they were dead he didn't kill them - Necrophilia maybe

Scruffygeist topcommenter

1 Like

Can't his son cover it from his NFL contract? Oh, wait...

Mantikos

Is it true that Craig James murdered 5 hookers while at SMU? Thats what I've read on the interwebs..

WatchingSouthDetroit

He should buy an ad in the Tech alumni newsletter - should get a bunch of money there.

Myrna.Minkoff-Katz topcommenter

2 Like

Their are enough dimwitted Tea Party assholes who will bail out this pig.

Sotiredofitall topcommenter

Even the Tea Party doesn't like Crag "I used to be a pro athelete" James

Sharon_Moreanus

2 Like

The only hooker here is himself.

don.abbott

2 Like

Call Mike Leach.

brightonskaterboy

Call me Craig. My number is 1-800-Eat-Sh!t.

Sharon_Moreanus

@brightonskaterboy Maybe

uppercasematt

3 Like

You know, a good suggstions for someone who ought to be willing to pay off the debt of the Craig James Campaign would be -- Craig James.

"on April 24, James repaid himself $450,000 of the $750,000 he’d loaned his Senate campaign last winter." says http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2012/05/james-repays-most-of-money-he.html/

Then again, I guess I don't know if that's even legal under our screwy campaign laws. Can the failed candidate personally pay off the third-party debts of his campaign, or is that an improper campaign contribution by an individual?

But at any rate, the campaign should have been paying back the third-party creditors before it paid anything back to him personally.

TexOHara

@uppercasematt There's an exception that individuals running for office can spend as much of their money as they want on their own money on their run for office. Supreme Court case called Buckley v. Valeo.

Chuck_Schick

SOCIALISM!

cynicaloldbastard

At least James is making an attempt to pay off his campaign debt. Bachman, Gingrich, Santorum, etc. are not making any attempt to pay off their millions of dollars in campaign debt.

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cynicaloldbastard

1 Like

@Sotiredofitall I work for a small business. They are stiffing hundreds of small businesses. Don't you think that rich individuals who are running for elected office should be expected to pay their debts? Or are people who run for elected office expected to play by a different set of rules from the rest of us? Of course, a smart small business would only do business with these people on a C.O. D. basis.