Thiru Vignarajah's exit from the mayoral primary, might cost him actual money.
"We're the first campaign in Maryland history to qualify for public funding," he told WMAR-2 News last month, when he was still fighting to be Mayor of Baltimore City.
He was referring to the Baltimore City Fair Election Fund, which provides matching funds to eligible candidates running for Mayor, Council President, Comptroller, or City Council.
There are also other campaigns that have qualified this election cycle.
The eligibility for a Mayoral candidate require at least 500 contributions of up to $150 that, combined is at least $40,000.
According to the April 10 meeting agenda, Vignarajah was initially approved for $450,000 and was given supplemental approval for another $150K.
Councilmember Kristerfer Burnett says, now, he should pay that back.
Today, I submitted a request for intervention by the Baltimore City Law Dept regarding the use of the Baltimore City Fair Elections Fund. I firmly believe that any candidate that withdraws early from the program should return all taxpayers funds, with interest, expeditiously. pic.twitter.com/IXBf3FZl5F
— Kristerfer B (@CouncilmanKB) May 2, 2024
The Fair Election Fund FAQs also state that, if a candidate withdraws after receiving public matching funds, it has to be paid back with interest, and before repaying personal loans.
We have reached out to Vignarajah for a statement.
