Jennifer Lawless took out two loans totaling $25,100 in the last quarter of 2005, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission Jan. 31.
The assistant professor of political science and public policy noted on her official statement of candidacy, filed with the FEC when she decided last April to challenge Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., in the Democratic primary, that she did not intend to spend any of her own money on the campaign. One of the loans, of $1,100, was from her own pocket. These loans are in addition to the $35,000 to $80,000 Lawless still owes on loans she took out while studying at Union College, the Columbia University School of Law and Stanford University, according to her financial disclosure form filed in May 2005.
Adam Deitch '05, Lawless' campaign manager, called the loans for the campaign a "statement about the degree to which Jen is very serious about winning her race."
Unlike Lawless, "A lot of (other) candidates are able to contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to their own campaigns," he added.
In the fourth quarter of 2005, Lawless' campaign received $29,970 in contributions, bringing her total funds raised in 2005 to $80,250, not including her loans. Her campaign had $75,981 in the bank at the end of the year, a substantial increase from the previous quarter's total of $31,837.
"We are very excited about our most recent fundraising quarter," Deitch said. "We're building a lot of strong momentum throughout the state on several fronts, including fundraising, and we look forward to building on this momentum as the campaign (continues)."
Notably, Lawless received a $250 donation from Gloria Feldt, the former president of Planned Parenthood of America. Feldt hosted an event in New York for Lawless and is "a good friend and a strong supporter for the campaign," according to Deitch.
He added, "Jen looks forward to consulting with and seeking advice from Gloria over the course of the next 10 months."
The FEC reports also showed that Lawless returned two contributions totaling $1,500 to Nick Hartigan '06 and Courtney Hull '06. Lawless pledged in October to return the contributions, given to her by students whose senior theses she was reading.
At the time of the filing, Lawless continued to trail Langevin in the money race - he had $242,083 cash on hand at the end of 2005 and raised $69,943 in the fourth quarter to bring his total amount raised to $425,343.
Langevin has over $93,000 in debt left over from previous campaigns, a common practice among incumbent politicians.
"(The last quarter of 2005) was up to expectations. We're right on track, and things are going well," said Joy Fox, Langevin's press secretary.
