Deciding Whether to Become a Candidate

Before deciding to campaign for federal office, an individual may want to “test the waters”—in other words, explore the feasibility of becoming a candidate. An individual who merely tests the waters, but does not campaign for office, does not have to register or report as a candidate even if the individual raises more than $5,000—the dollar threshold that would normally trigger registration. Nevertheless, funds raised to test the waters are subject to the federal law's contribution limitations and prohibitions, and must be disclosed if the individual becomes a candidate. For more information, see this article: [ HTML] [PDF] and this e-learning video.