Next job for Torsella: Giving back the money

It took Democrat Joe Torsella six weeks to raise over $600,000 for his Senate campaign.

Giving the money back should prove easier, if not as satisfying.

Now that he is not running for Senate, Torsella’s campaign faces one major logistical hurdle before disbanding completely: how to quickly and effectively return money to the hundreds of donors that had helped Torsella become a viable candidate by forking over their cash for his early fundraising blitz.

“If you were kind enough to contribute, we’re going to tally up the accounts and send your money back,” Torsella said in a video to supporters. “I know you wanted to send me to the Senate, not to send me a political blank check.”

Not every dollar will be returned, considering the campaign had already made some modest expenditures on staff and operational expenses. Those outlays will be deducted from the total raised, and every donor will receive their money back, minus the proportional amount of their money that was already spent.

Campaign spokesman Mark Nevins said he was unsure exactly how much money had been raised since the first quarter recently ended, but he expected the donations would be returned without much logistical pain—though Torsella himself might experience some finger-aches from signing all those checks.

“There may be some hand cramps, but it’s not too complicated,” Nevins said.