Sen. Muse Has Yet to File His June Campaign Finance Report
A sitting member of the Maryland legislature appears to have blown off the most recent deadline for filing fundraising reports.
Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D), a candidate for Prince George’s County executive, failed to file an updated contribution and expenditure report 10 days ago, as required by law.
State Sen. C. Anthony Muse
Muse is running against state’s attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks and former congresswoman Donna F. Edwards, among others, in the June 26 primary.
“There’s absolutely no excuse for it,” said Damon A. Effingham, acting executive director of Maryland Common Cause, the government watchdog group. “This is an ethical responsibility of every person running for office."
St. Mary's College of Maryland political science professor Todd Eberly said voters have “a right to know where money is coming from and how people are spending their money.”
“The first reaction you should always have when a candidate who knows the business hasn’t filed their required paperwork is, 'What are they trying to hide?'"
Indeed, Muse’s last report, filed in May, showed a cash-on-hand deficit of $24,525, an indication that the campaign is spending more than it is taking in. That's not a promising sign in a race where the leading fundraiser, Alsobrooks, reported more than $1 million in receipts, with $564,774 still in the bank, as of the June 15 report.
Muse has been involved in Prince George’s County since the 1990s, when he first won a seat in the House of Delegates, so he is no stranger to campaign finance rules. He sits on the Judicial Proceedings Committee in the state Senate.
Longtime Muse adviser Wayne Clarke said: “We’re the only all-grassroots, volunteer-driven campaign, and we’re in the process of making sure our report gets filed now.”
Effingham said the General Assembly has not given the State Board of Elections the resources it needs to go after campaigns that aren’t following the rules.
“I don’t think they can keep up with this level of delinquency,” he said.
bruce@marylandmatters.org
