THEN, IF HE’S RE-ELECTED, HE’LL SAVAGE BUSINESSES FOR DOING THE SAME THING: Bill Nelson’s Campaign Avoiding Taxes, Health Care Costs on Campaign Staff.

Democratic senator Bill Nelson (Fla.) has been avoiding common campaign expenses such as paying payroll tax and providing benefits such as health insurance by staffing his reelection effort solely through contractors, a rarely used and frowned-upon tactic.

Nelson’s filings with the Federal Election Commission so far this cycle contain no disbursements for payroll or salary, nor payments for payroll taxes that come along with having salaried workers. Also missing are any payments for health insurance, which campaigns provide to full-time employees. . . .

A campaign finance expert who discussed Nelson’s disclosure with the Washington Free Beacon called the structure “completely uncommon.”

“Campaigns do have tons of contractors, that’s not uncommon, what’s completely uncommon is to have no employees,” the expert said.

The campaign filings of Nelson’s fellow incumbent Democrats running in tight races back up the claim.

A review of filings this cycle for 10 other Democrat reelection campaigns—senators Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Joe Manchin (W.V.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Jon Tester (Mont.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Bob Casey (Pa.), and Bob Menendez (N.J.)—found Nelson to be the odd man out.

Each of the 10 campaigns disclosed payments to salaried workers as well as the costs associated with them, such as payroll taxes and payroll processing fees. Each campaign also discloses payments to health care companies such as United Healthcare to pay for their employees’ insurance—Casey’s Pennsylvania campaign appears to provide dental coverage as well.

Payroll costs add up. The McCaskill campaign, for example, has thus far this cycle spent $38,444 on health insurance and $256,441 in payroll tax.

Florida governor Rick Scott, Nelson’s likely Republican opponent in November, launched his campaign during the most recent cycle and won’t provide his first filing until later this month. His campaign, however, tells the Washington Free Beacon it has salaried employees, provides them health insurance, and pays payroll tax.

Benefits for thee but not for me.