Staff Reports
In a surprising oversight that has raised eyebrows among political observers, congressional candidate Mike Boudreaux has failed to submit his mandatory financial disclosure reports, a requirement for all candidates running for Congress.
Boudreaux currently serves as the elected Sheriff of Tulare County and is running to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy as the Representative for the 20th Congressional District.
Candidates running for Congress are required to file a financial disclosure report with the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives no later than 30 days before their primary election, which in the case of the 20th Congressional District, was Sunday, February 4th.
The financial disclosure reports are designed to provide a transparent account of a candidate’s financial interests and potential conflicts of interest. The reports include information about the source, type, amount, or value of the incomes, assets, and liabilities. Failure to file the reports can result in substantial fines and potential enforcement action by the House of Representatives Ethics Committee.
Financial disclosure reporting has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, as multiple members of Congress have faced allegations of using information gathered from their positions in Congress to make profitable stock-trading decisions.
Boudreaux’s opponent in the race for the 20th District, Assemblyman Vince Fong, filed his financial disclosure report, as required, on February 4th.
This latest oversight from the Boudreaux campaign is not the first the Tulare County Sheriff has faced issues related to ethics and transparency reporting. In 2015, Boudreaux was found in violation of state campaign finance law by the California Fair Political Practices Commission. On five separate counts of failing to adequately report political contributions, Boudreaux was found guilty and fined for the violations.
The commission also issued a warning letter to Boudreaux, stating their investigators found “in several instances [Boudreaux] failed to report the address for a contributor, or failed to include the occupation and employer information for a contributor.” State law requires candidates and officeholders to disclose political contribution information in order to maintain transparency of who is contributing to their campaigns.
Boudreaux trailed Fong in both the March 5th primary and March 19th special election. Given no candidate received over 50% in the special election, Boudreaux and Fong have both advanced to a runoff election that will be held on May 21st. The winner of that election will be seated immediately and fill the remainder of McCarthy’s term concluding in January 2025. Regardless of the winner of that race, Boudreaux and Fong will face off yet again, during the November 7th Presidential Election.
