It may or may not surprise you to know that retiring from Congress does not necessarily mean you have to stop campaigning for Congress.
Or at least fundraising for it.
Since the 113th Congress convened 417 days ago nearly 30 U.S. Representatives have announced they would not run for reelection, have resigned from office, or decided to run for a political position outside of the federal government.
However, even though their days in Congress are either over or numbered, retirements and resignations have not stopped many of these U.S. House members from not only maintaining their campaign websites, but also actively accepting contributions to such campaigns that do not exist.
Well, sure—I imagine the person updating your campaign website is among the first to be laid off, when you end your campaign, so there's nobody there to turn off the fundraising page?
[W]hile 11-term Alabama Republican Spencer Bachus' campaign website does include a news item regarding his retirement announcement from nearly five months ago last September, the page title is called "ReElect Spencer Bachus" and maintains a fully functioning "Donate" button that enables individuals to contribute to his non-campaign.
Please read below the fold for more on this bizarre story.
Or not. That said, I suppose there are worse ways to spend your money than writing checks to politicians who aren't even running for anything anymore. If it's between that or blowing it all on the monkey knife fight circuit, go for it.
Some cases are a bit odder than others:
[Florida Republican Bill Young] died last October 18th and a special election to fill his seat will be held in less than a month.
Even still, some 129 days after his passing, Young's campaign website is still active where one can sign up for a Bill Young yard sign or supporter pin, volunteer to help the campaign, or contribute financially online or via the mail.
Huh. Well, if you see folks with Bill Young yard signs this summer, now you know where they got them. Given their recent troubles, Florida could do worse than re-electing a dead man. Not saying I endorse the idea, just pointing out that it may not hurt him much in the primary.