Tax Checkoff Finances Green Party Candidate's Presidential Bid

Jill Stein was awarded $260,000 from the FEC through the presidential public funding program. Public funds account for one third of her war chest.

The Federal Election Commission announced Friday night that $260,389 in federal matching funds was awarded to Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.

The announcement makes Stein, a physician and former Massachusetts gubernatorial contender, one of three candidates to rely heavily on public funding dollars in their bids for the presidency.

Buddy Roemer, the former congressman and governor who suspended his presidential campaign in May, received over $351,000 from the FEC, and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson — still in the race — has received over $303,000 in federal funds.

The presidential public funding program is financed by a $3 check-off option that appears on personal income tax returns. Neither Mitt Romney nor President Obama accepted federal funding — to become eligible for the program, the candidate must agree to an overall spending limit.

But for candidates like Stein and Johnson, the influx of federal dollars is worth the restrictions of the FEC program. The cash Stein has received makes up over one third of her campaign's overall revenue. Through contributions alone, the Green Party candidate has raised just $374,116 as of Aug. 31.

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