If you’ve ever signed up for campaign alerts or donated to a candidate, you’ve probably received a text, email, or letter asking for donations. Sometimes, those asks continue post-election. So what happens to that leftover money after an election, or after candidates end their campaigns?
The answer: It depends on the office, and where you live. Local and state candidates report to the Virginia Department of Elections, while federal seat-seekers file with the Federal Election Commission.
Per the Code of Virginia, candidates and committees must file a final report to close their committee if the candidate does not seek election to the same office in a “successive election,” the candidate runs for a different office, or the candidate dies. A campaign committee can only be closed once there is no “balance, deficit, outstanding debts, or outstanding loans,” any excess funds are properly disbursed and reported, and any reports or civil penalties due have been settled.
Surplus funds given to state and local office seekers can be dealt with in a multitude of ways, including use for a succeeding election, payment of a prior election’s deficit, donation to 170(c) organizations, contributions to other candidates or political action committees, or return of funds to donors.
Local candidate reports provide a few interesting examples of state law in action.
The most recent election for Charlottesville City Council took place in November 2025. As of December 31, Juandiego Wade for Charlottesville had a balance of $16,438.39. That amount has stayed the same since the ending balance reported on November 27. Even if Wade receives no additional funds in the interim, he will need to file his next campaign finance report in the coming weeks.
One of Sally Hudson’s campaign committees, Sally for Virginia State Senate, has sat at $0 since January 1, 2024—but filed its most recent report on January 15, 2026. In the months after Hudson’s narrow loss in the 2023 Democratic primary to incumbent Creigh Deeds, funds from her campaign were used to cover remaining payroll and campaign expenses, multiple donations to the House Democratic Caucus totaling at least $9,000, and reimbursement of Hudson’s candidate loans to the campaign. Without an accepted final report, the committee remains open, and Hudson must continue filing reports.
From the president to congressional primary hopefuls, the FEC handles filings for all federal campaigns.
Requirements to end a federal campaign are similar to those at the state level, with the FEC needing a termination report to shut down committee operations. Committees must not intend to or actually receive contributions or make expenditures to file a termination report—but they can have an outstanding fund balance.
Per the FEC, “a committee may use its remaining funds for any lawful purpose, including refunding them to their donors or giving them to certain charities.” Allowed uses of surplus federal campaign funds also include campaign and officeholder expenses, state and federal campaign contributions, and transfers to party committees. Alternatively, federal candidates can opt to convert their campaign funds into a political action committee.
State and federal election law both prohibit the use of campaign funds for personal use.
Raw data from Tom Perriello for Congress FEC electronic filings indicate that former VA-5 Democratic primary candidate Adele Stichel, who dropped out in December, donated $1,000 personally to the frontrunner’s campaign on December 31. Stichel’s campaign could have donated that amount directly, given that it’s below the $2,000 cap for contributions to other federal candidates.
Looking at Stichel’s own FEC filings, the former candidate is seemingly in the process of terminating the Adele for Congress committee, with her most recent filing showing $0 cash on hand as of January 31. A termination report is not listed among her FEC filings, but a financial summary shows $26,000 in individual contribution refunds were issued between October 1, 2025, and January 31, 2026.
Campaign finance reports for local and state candidates can be found on the VDOE website. Filings for federal candidates can be found on fec.gov.
