APNewsBreak: Senate candidate bills campaign for family trip

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A Facebook page belonging to the wife of an Indiana congressman touted the family's visit to the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, with photos showing the two children by the conservative icon's grave and the couple in front of a "humble" wooden table where Reagan signed a massive tax cut.

The California visit represents just a small part of the over $300,000 in flights, vehicle charges, meals and hotel stays Stutzman's campaign fund has spent since the tea party-backed Republican went to Washington in 2010 on a pledge to oppose special interests, an AP review found.

Michael Toner, who was chairman of the FEC under President George W. Bush, said family vacations can't be charged to a campaign account and that the candidate must pay for all personal expenses, even if the trip includes political activities.

By the time it was paid off in June 2015, the running tab surpassed $60,000 for automobile-related expenses, including car payments, insurance, registration and repairs.

Since 2010, Stutzman has billed his campaign for $129,872 in airfare and hotels — including one charge to the Ritz Carlton — compared to $26,378 for Young.

Stutzman presents himself as a small-town farmer with a cure for the "Potomac fever" he says is gripping a national political establishment that has refused to rein in government spending at taxpayers' expense.