Lindsey Graham launches exploratory committee (or does he?)

[Mr. Morden]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lindsey-graham-sets-up-committee-to-explore-2016-presidential-bid/

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What is a "testing the waters committee"?  Somewhere between an exploratory committee and a PAC?  I'll have to get back to you on that.

[Mr. Morden]

I think a "testing the waters committee" as he calls it something like the quasi-exploratory committee that Gingrich set up for himself in 2011…which I think was basically an exploratory committee in all but name.  It's different from a regular exploratory committee in terms of having different reporting requirements, and oddly gets set up with the IRS rather than the FEC.

[Mr. Morden]

It's been several days now, and I've seen no reporting on what this committee is called, nor any news about a website.  Did Graham just make an off-the-cuff remark, and he hasn't actually established this committee yet (if he ever will)?

[Mr. Morden]

*bump*

Looks like Graham was talking about an exploratory committee (which is just officially being launched now), but got the legal definitions wrong or something:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/01/29/lindsey-graham-officially-launches-presidential-exploratory-committee/

Don't worry, he's not a lawyer.

[Mr. Morden]

OK, maybe this isn't an exploratory committee after all.  The Washington Post says it is, but David Catanese of The Run blog at US News says it's a 527, like the organization that Walker recently set up:

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/run-2016/2015/01/29/lindsey-graham-tests-presidential-waters

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No idea what's actually going on here.

[Mr. Morden]

Wow, his campaign's off to an absolutely smashing start. If at his pronouncements, he doesn't even know how to say what his campaign is doing, then I cannot wait to see him on the debate stage (and for more than just his lovely voice)

Actually, I don't think his announcement itself was botched.  Looks like the media reporting on it was confused.

OK, here's the website:

http://securitythroughstrength.com/

Nowhere does it say that it's an exploratory committee.  It says:

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So I think it's just a 527 like Walker's organization.  The Washington Post, then, is just misreporting this as an "exploratory committee".  They're confused, because we have so many different flavors of quasi-campaign committees this time around.