PHOENIX – Former payday lending lobbyist and CD8 Republican primary candidate Jonathan Paton is unethically funding his congressional race with money from his state senate campaign, according to a complaint filed today by the Arizona Democratic Party.

“Corporate lobbyist Jonathan Paton has found another way to give himself a payday – he writes himself checks to the tune of thousands of dollars from his old campaign accounts,” said Arizona Democratic Party Executive Director Luis Heredia.

In February and March 2010, Paton wrote himself five checks totaling more than $8,300 in mileage reimbursements from his state senate account, despite filing his federal candidacy in January 2010.

In total, between the January 31st and June 30th campaign finance reports, Paton has reimbursed himself a total of $19,415.67 for travel. That adds up to 43,631 miles in campaign-related travel in less than a year and a half.

Payday Paton’s new campaign web ad touts a record of “honesty and integrity.” But his record shows he’s just another corporate lobbyist trying to take a payday at voters’ expense.
“By writing himself checks from his state account at the same time as he runs for Congress, Jonathan Paton is unethically funneling money to his next campaign. This is why we can't elect a corporate lobbyist to Congress. Paton should give up his state senate slush fund and pay back his donors,” said Heredia.

A copy of the complaint submitted to the Citizens Clean Elections Commission today by the Arizona Democratic Party is available for download. Read more about this lobbyist-turned-legislator’s payday past at http://www.paydaypaton.com.

See the complaint here:
http://azdem.org/assets/Lang_letter.PDF