Highlighting an increasing wave of threats against federal candidates for public office, the Federal Election Commission has opened the door to allowing campaigns to fund security with donor contributions.
In a brief statement, the FEC said Tuesday that it will be seeking comments over the next two months on a proposal to allow for “reasonable costs” of candidate security.
The campaign finance watchdog agency said it has allowed special case funding for security but would now like to approve a formal rule allowing spending for “non-structural security devices; structural security devices; professional security personnel and services; and cybersecurity software, devices and services.”
FEC Chairman Sean Cooksey told Secrets that the rise in threats against candidates is driving the move.
Earlier this year, the Capitol Police reported it received 8,008 claims of threats in 2023, a huge jump from the 906 in 2016. Election years have seen big gro …