Vignarajah must pay back unspent public funds after he suspended the Baltimore mayoral race

BALTIMORE – Former Baltimore mayoral candidate Thiru Vignarajah must return his campaignThe Baltimore City Fair Election Fund said Tuesday that it has recovered unspent public funds since suspending his candidacy.

Vignarajah’s 2024 campaign received $668,881 from the city fund. He dropped out of the race last week and endorsed his opponent Sheila Dixon, a former Baltimore mayor who is fighting to win back her seat.

“The campaign is familiar and fully in line with the clear words of the regulations and will return all unspent funds as required by law,” Vignarajah said in a statement, according to a city council member attracted attention down to business.

However, it was not clear how much Vignarajah would have to pay back because of the language of Baltimore’s public financing law, which states that unspent public funds must be returned within 30 days of the election being certified

The Fair Election Fund clarified on Tuesday that the use of public funds is limited to campaign activities only, meaning Vignarajah cannot spend money beyond the period in which he has suspended his campaign. He is also prohibited from providing public funds to other candidates.

“The Commission expects the Friends of Thiru Vignarajah campaign to provide a full accounting of contributions received and expenditure incurred during the period of suspension and to remit the unspent balance to the publicly funded campaign account no later than the deadline,” the fund said.

The Finance Act does not deal with funds already spent.

“After the primary election, the Commission will meet to review the effectiveness of the Fair Elections Fund program and, in consultation with the Baltimore City Legal Department and the State Board of Elections, to adopt clarifying rules and regulations,” the fund said in a statement .