While the Craig James era at ESPN is over, and James' tenure on AA's Mount Rushmore has also come to a close, his brief Senate campaign still has some unfinished business. Namely, James owes $177,725 to members of his campaign team (not including himself) more than six months after his failed primary run came to a close.
All isn't lost with the James campaign's debts, though. Since the election, the campaign has made payments to those individuals owed money… payments to the tune of $560, or about the amount of a two-week paycheck of a kid working 40 hours a week and making $8 an hour. What is interesting is that James still owes himself $300,000 after loaning the campaign $750,000, meaning that he paid himself back $450,000 before even bothering to pay the debts he owed to staffers, consultants, and even his own daughter.
Cynthia Wiedemann, founder of Fundraising Solutions and owed $5,500 by James, said that she received a form letter acknowledging the debt, and that James was working to solicit funds to pay it off. In other words, James was trying to get donations from people six months after getting taken behind the woodshed in a primary election. That may be a more unlikely scenario than Craig James filibustering in the United States Senate.
Unfrotunately, James' creditors likely won't get their money. In a federal campaign, the burden of the debt lies on the Campaign Committee rather than the individual. So while James will likely be out his $300,000, others will also be out of money. Let's just hope James doesn't get a television job to help his daily income any time soon.
