Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long to resume fundraising after audit of campaign finances

An internal audit of Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long’s campaign finances found the gubernatorial candidate and her husband did not accurately report campaign-related expenses when paid for with personal credit cards and loans, Hall-Long’s campaign announced Thursday evening.

The results of the audit come a month after Hall-Long announced the audit of her campaign finances, which she said was prompted after she requested a review of past campaign finance reports and “learned there may have been reporting issues that require attention.”

The campaign did not provide a copy of the audit – conducted by Delaware-based Summit CPA – in its announcement.

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“While reporting errors were made, Summit has determined that Bethany and her husband lent more for campaign-related expenses over the course of prior campaigns than they were reimbursed for,” the campaign statement reads. “No wrongdoings or violations were found.”

What the audit reviewed and found

Hall-Long’s campaign said Summit reviewed “hundreds of receipts” for campaign-related expenses and loans dating back to the lieutenant governor’s first statewide campaign in 2016.

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Hall-Long said in the emailed statement Thursday that as soon as the “discrepancies” were identified, the campaign halted fundraising efforts and hired accountants to examine the records.

“During these campaigns, there were times my husband and I lent the campaign money or charged campaign-related expenses to our credit cards,” she said. “Some of the loans and expenses were not correctly entered. With the help of accountants, we are reconciling the campaign account.”

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Amid the review, Hall-Long also brought on a new campaign treasurer.

Moving forward with campaign for governor

Hall-Long said her campaign now has a “top compliance firm” handling all recordkeeping. They’ll also be amending prior years’ campaign reports with the Department of Elections, she said.

“My campaign is now ready to resume fundraising and all related activities. I got into politics to help people, plain and simple,” Hall-Long said. “I look forward to the upcoming campaign and continuing to serve the people of Delaware.”

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Bethany Hall-Long's campaign finance audit finds errors, no violations