When he first entered the race for New Jersey’s open 2nd Congressional District back in February, engineer Hirsh Singh reportedly assured local GOP leaders that he'd pour $2 million of his own money into his bid. But according to the financial disclosure statement he just filed with the House, if Singh even self-funded a fraction of that sum, he’d be flat broke.
Singh's filing shows that, far from being a multi-millionaire, his actual assets sit somewhere between $51,000 and $115,000. He lists between $1,000 and $15,000 of those assets as coming from casino winnings, writing in the description, "Hit black 13 on Roulette in Atlantic City after the first annual GOP Leadership Summit ;-)." Yes, Singh really included that winky emoticon in his official financial disclosure statement.
Republican leaders understandably don't seem too ;-) with Singh. Atlantic County party chair Keith Davis grumbled, "A lot of people supported him based upon the personal wealth he pledged was going to be brought into this campaign." And some of those people were, like Davis, also from Atlantic County, which makes up about 40 percent of the electorate in the June 5 primary, nearly twice as much as the next largest county.
Thanks to the representations he made about his finances, Singh earned the important “organization line” in Atlantic County as well as in Ocean County, which comprises about 10 percent of the vote. That gives him a distinct advantage in the primary, since his name will appear in a separate column from those of his foes. And since those rivals have even less money, name recognition, or external support, Singh remains the frontrunner.
Singh in fact has only self-funded $54,000 so far, leading an impatient Davis to warn that Singh "better start raising money." But that hope may be as vain as the dream that Singh would self-fund millions in the first place: Singh brought in just $48,000 from donors during his first quarter in the race.
National Republicans have been unusually public in their pessimism about holding seat (even though Trump carried it 51-46) against state Sen. Jeff Van Drew, the likely Democratic nominee, so it's probably too much for Singh to hope that they'll open their wallets for him. Last month, before Singh's financial weaknesses came to light, NRCC chair Steve Stivers openly mused that he wished he "had a better recruit" in 2nd District. Weeks later, Stivers sought to do some damage control and claimed that Singh was indeed an "impressive candidate," but he's probably going to go back to his original—and more accurate—assessment.
There is one big donor who may aid Singh, though. Last year, Singh ran for governor and accepted a nearly $950,000 loan from Tribuvan Singh, who just happens to be his father; that loan made up almost all of Hirsh Singh's campaign budget. Singh, who went on to take just 10 percent of the vote in the primary, was allowed to take this loan because of a loophole in New Jersey election law that allows unlimited donations from a relative who lives in the same household as the candidate. (And yes, the 33-year-old Singh lives with his father.)
However, federal law doesn't allow this kind of transaction, so Singh can't get another massive cash infusion from his dad. Politico speculates that the elder Singh could fund a super PAC to help his son, but it would be tough for the two flat-mates to avoid accusations of illegal coordination since they live in such close proximity. (Super PACs can’t work with the campaigns they’re aiding.)
What’s more, super PACs don't get the same kind of discounted rates on TV and radio as candidates get, so Tribuvan Singh's money wouldn't go as far as the mythical $2 million that Hirsh Singh said he would have. The only thing we know is this whole affair is probably going to leave local and national GOP leaders feeling rather ;-(.