Wil Cardon Fact Check: "I Don’t Believe In Self-Funding Candidates"

Cardon Fact Check: "I Don’t Believe In Self-Funding Candidates"

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PHOENIX -- A new fact check released today by the Flake campaign examines whether millionaire Senate candidate Wil Cardon is honest in claiming that he won’t self-finance his campaign in the race to replace retiring U.S. Senator Jon Kyl. This is the second in a series that will examine factually inaccurate statements and claims made by Cardon and his campaign.





The Claim


Speaking to voters at a campaign event on October 29, 2011, Wil Cardon denied any intention of trying to buy the Senate seat by self-financing his race:

"I’ve heard people also say, well, he’s a wealthy guy, he can fund his own campaign. I’m not that guy. I don’t believe in self-funding candidates. I believe that the only way you get it done is to have people actually buy into your candidacy, and the way they buy into your candidacy is that it can be ten cents or it can be $2,500 - the maximum. But once they invest in you and say listen, I’m going to give some of my, voluntarily, give you some of my hard-earned dollars, I think then you have a chance at winning something, and if you can’t do that you’re just trying to buy an election or do something like that, and that’s not my opinion the right way to get things done either."

His remarks can be heard here: http://youtu.be/fK0cd3Bk4jA


The Facts


To date, Wil Cardon has poured at least $4.2 million of his family inheritance into his campaign for the United States Senate, with much more likely to come. Actual contributions have trailed off dramatically since his first reporting quarter and now stand at an overall total of $706,000 to date. Cardon’s campaign relies almost entirely on his personal loans, as the actual contributions raised barely began to cover the cost of statewide airtime he has already purchased for his campaign ads.


The personal cash that Wil Cardon has funneled into the race is at the center of a Federal Election Commission complaint filed against him in January. The complaint suggests that some of the money Cardon loaned his campaign may have derived from corporate sources, which is illegal. The Arizona Republic wrote on the complaint at the time: http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2012/01/20/20120120wil-cardon-accused-fec-violation.html


Conclusion


Wil Cardon is not being honest when he claims that he’s not a self-funding candidate. He’s simply telling voters one thing and then doing another. Spending $4.2 million of his family’s wealth to date -- while struggling to attract buy-in support from voters -- makes it clear that Wil is attempting to buy this election.


He said it himself, if you can’t raise the money you need to run, and need to self-finance, "you’re just trying to buy an election…and that’s not in my opinion the right way to get things done."


We agree, Wil.


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Paid for by Jeff Flake for U.S. Senate, Inc.