Jed Duggar, Republican candidate for AR House District 89, reports a hefty $8,400 from a donor in Louisiana. This amount is triple the legal limit candidates can accept from a single donor.
So far, no ethics complaints have been filed regarding this apparently illegal campaign donation.
The money in question came from Ross Little, a retired banker in Lafayette, Louisiana. Little’s first $2,800 donation appears to have arrived on August 30, 2020, according to financial filings with the Arkansas Secretary of State. Little’s second donation of $5,600 was recorded for September 9, 2020.
Duggar, 21, is a newcomer to the political stage, although his name is easily recognizable. Candidate Duggar is the 10th of the 19 Duggar children made famous in the reality television show 19 Kids and Counting.
Jed Duggar left his family’s rural compound and moved to Springdale proper last year, making him eligible for the District 89 race against incumbent Megan Godfrey, a Democrat first elected in 2018. He could not be immediately reached for comment about the donations in question.
In 2019, the state legislature passed Act 319 which increased the Arkansas Ethics Commission’s maximum fine from $2,000 to $3,500 per violation. By our count, that’s a potential $7,000 fine for Jed Duggar. Candidates can use campaign donations to pay fines associated with their campaign, but it must be reported as a campaign expenditure and itemized on the next Contribution and Expenditure report if it exceeds $100. We know you’re Counting On…us following up.
