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Update, Friday, 11:15 p.m.: Kid Rock responds to allegations that he breaks federal campaign laws. On his website, he writes:
I am starting to see reports from the misinformed press and the fake news on how I am in violation of breaking campaign law.
#1 I have still not officially announced my candidacy.
#2 See #1 and go fuck yourselves.
Everyone else, have a great Labor Day. (I will be spending mine WORKING in one of the greatest cities in America - Grand Rapids, Michigan!!)
Rock on.
Kid Rock
Original article, Friday:
Kid Rock for Senate? Well, that's not clear.
Still, Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group in Washington, files a Federal Election Commission complaint alleging that Kid Rock, aka Robert James Ritchie, illegally acts as a Senate candidate while failing to register, comply with contribution restrictions and disclose contributions.
Common Cause also accuses Warner Bros. Records, his label, of violating federal law and commission regulations by facilitating and acting as a conduit for political contributions.
"Regardless of whether Kid Rock says he's only exploring candidacy, he’s selling Kid Rock for Senate merchandise and is a candidate under the law. This is campaign finance law 101," Paul S. Ryan, Common Cause’s vice president for policy and litigation, says in a statement. "Given the activities we’ve documented in the complaint, he can't reasonably claim to be merely testing the waters of candidacy and thus exempt from candidate filing requirements. He is a candidate and is obligated to abide by all the rules and make the same disclosures required of everyone else running for federal office."
Common Cause asks the FEC and Justice Department to investigate the unofficial campaign and "impose appropriate sanctions for any and all violations," along with "additional remedies as are necessary and appropriate to ensure compliance" with the Federal Election Campaign Act.
Friday's complaint points out:
- February: Wes Nakagiri of the Michigan Republican Party Cental Committee names Kid Rock as a potential 2018 challenger to U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow
- July 12: "I have a ton of emals and texts asking me if this website [kidrockforsenate.com] is real," the performer tweets. "The answer is absolute YES." An accompanying photo shows a "KId Rock for US Senate" yard sign.
- Early July: Kid Rock's website offers T-shirts for $24.99, yard signs for $15.99, hats for $15.99 and bumper stickers for $4.99 -- all saying "Kid Rock for US Senate."
