Klacik Has Almost $1M Left in Campaign Treasury

Kimberly Klacik, the Maryland Republican congressional candidate who won nationwide attention with her provocative campaign videos and endorsement from President Trump, raised almost $8.3 million for her longshot campaign, new campaign finance records show.

Klacik, who took just 28% of the vote in the 7th District race against Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D), still had $977,101 in her campaign account as of Nov. 23.

Reports showing congressional campaign fundraising activity and expenditures between Oct. 15 and Nov. 23 were due with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday ― covering 2 1/2 weeks before Election Day and almost three weeks after the election.

Klacik, whose campaign became a sensation in national conservative circles despite the overwhelming Democratic lean of the 7th District, took in $8,293,884 for the entire election cycle, including $906,491 during the five weeks covered by the campaign finance report. According to a Maryland Matters analysis, only $22,403 in contributions during this period came from Maryland.

Klacik reported spending $6.2 million leading up to the election and almost $1.1 million after the election.

In just the five weeks covered by the latest campaign finance report, she paid $1,286,147 to a Republican fundraising entity, WinRed. She also spent $463,070 on campaign videos, $265,712 on mailers and $107,000 on canvassing, according to her FEC report.

Mfume, by contrast, raised $145,107 during the five-week reporting period ― and $446,669 for the election cycle overall. He spent $325,796 during the campaign and reported $301,968 in his campaign account as of Nov. 23.

While Klacik’s next political and professional moves are unclear, she has continued to be active on Twitter, picking fights with or reposting embarrassing information about prominent Democrats and questioning the accuracy of reporting showing the number of COVID-19 cases around the country rising. She recently appeared on the conservative network Newsmax to suggest that reports of rising coronavirus cases may be designed to suppress Republican voter turnout in Georgia, where two U.S. Senate runoffs are scheduled for Jan. 5.

On Friday, Klacik retweeted a short video from Baltimore Mayor-elect Brandon M. Scott (D), in which he updated the public on his health after coming in close contact with someone who has the virus. In the video, Scott says he has tested negative and is “feeling great,” but is working from home, quarantining out of an abundance of caution.

“The next Mayor of Baltimore tested negative for #COVIDー19 but decided to quarantine anyways while still receiving his paycheck thanks to taxpayers,” Klacik wrote in her retweet. “People voted for this nonsense.”

In the video, Scott said he was remaining at home on the advice of public health advisers and to “lead by example.”

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