Lowden cites ‘accounting error’ for using some general election money

Sue Lowden's primary campaign on Thursday blamed an accounting error for spending nearly $18,000 in general election funds, which isn't allowed under federal finance laws.

The Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate race has been spending money as fast as it's been coming in ahead of the June 8 primary.

On Wednesday, the campaign reported it had $209,325.03 "cash on hand" as of May 19, for a pre-primary reporting period that began April 1.

But it turns out that was money raised for the general election and it can't be spent until June 9 – if Lowden wins, the campaign acknowledged on Thursday.

Also, the total figure wasn't correct. The campaign said it actually has $227,063 in general election funds set aside – nearly $18,000 more than it reported.

Campaign manager Robert Uithoven said Lowden's attorney will file an updated report on Friday to make the $18,000 correction and restore the general fund account.

Uithoven said the error amounted to less than 1 percent of the $3.2 million in total receipts Lowden's campaign has collected this election cycle so far.

"We're fixing an accounting error," Uithoven said. "We had believed that the general election money had been untouched, but about half of 1 percent was not left untouched."

Uithoven said the campaign has enough money to operate through the June 8 primary as new donations come in every day. Also, he said Lowden has made it clear she'll spend what it takes from her own purse to finish the race as well. The casino executive has already donated more than $1 million to her campaign.

"Yes, we're spending money as it comes in," Uithoven said. "We have enough to win, but we're not going to come out of this primary with cash on hand."

The error in its filing to the Federal Election Commission comes after the Democratic Party filed a complaint with the FEC, accusing Lowden of illegally accepting an expensive RV motorhome to use as a campaign bus. She said her campaign is leasing the motorhome and she hasn't violated any FEC contribution limits.