Since 1983, long-bearded Texas rockers ZZ Top have been singing that "every girl crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man."
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is singing a different tune: If you want to be a sharp-dressed candidate, you better pay for the threads yourself.
The FEC, in a ruling Thursday, determined that four congressional candidates "appear to have violated" a federal election rule barring the use of campaign funds to purchase clothing. But because all of the candidates had reimbursed their campaign treasuries for the expenditures, the cases were closed without further action taken.
The ruling came in response to a complaint filed last December by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a political watchdog group.
The complaint named two Democratic incumbents, Robert E. Andrews of New Jersey and Loretta Sanchez of California, both of whom were easily re-elected, and two Republican challengers who were soundly defeated by Democratic incumbents: Bill Dew, who lost to Utah Rep. Jim Matheson, and William James Breazeale, who lost to North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre.
The case launched by CREW did not involve the most publicized candidate shopping spree of 2008: the one committed either by or for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (depending on whose versions of events you believe) after Republican presidential nominee John McCain made her his surprise pick as his vice presidential running mate. The thousands of dollars worth of togs sported by Palin during last fall's campaign were financed not by McCain's campaign treasury, but rather by the Republican National Committee.
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