Report: GOP Senate candidate used campaign funds for $2K family vacation

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) used campaign funds from his Senate bid to pay for a family vacation to California in August, according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}The AP reports Stutzman’s campaign paid more than $2,000 for four airline tickets, a van rental and a Hilton hotel room during the trip.

The Indiana Republican’s wife posted pictures online of the family visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library with a caption describing the trip as a family vacation. The photos were reportedly taken down after the AP began asking questions about the getaway.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a group backing Stutzman’s primary opponent, Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.), blasted Stutzman over the report on Wednesday.

“Whether he is voting himself a pay raise or using campaign cash to subsidize a California vacation, Marlin Stutzman is a typical career politician who seems to believe that all the money belongs to him, not to Indiana families,” the group’s spokesman, Ian Prior, said in a statement.

Stutzman’s campaign manager, Josh Kelley, said the following when asked by the AP about the trip: “It is irresponsible to imply that Marlin Stutzman has not always done his best to be in compliance with all FEC rules and regulations.”

Federal Election Commission filings show that Stutzman has a habit of spending large sums on travel expenses. The AP found that over an eight-month stretch last year, he charged $13,100 to reimburse mileage on a personal vehicle, which is enough for 40 round trips up and down the state of Indiana. During that period, Stutzman spent a significant amount of time in Washington.

— This report was updated at 6:17 p.m.