Rogelio V. Solis, AP
Gov. Phil Bryant laughs as he leans against the speaker’s podium at Founders Square at the Neshoba County Fair in July.
Gov. Phil Bryant has closed out his campaign fund, transferring the bulk of the balance to a newly formed political action committee.
Bryant’s campaign finance report, filed Monday, shows disbursements totaling $1 million between Jan. 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2016. The majority — $760,764 — went to Imagine Mississippi PAC.
Records from the Secretary of State’s office show that the Imagine Mississippi PAC was organized in Dec. 2016.
Paul V. Breazeale is listed as treasurer on both Bryant’s fundraising committee and Imagine Mississippi PAC.
Breazeale told Mississippi Today that by making the switch, Bryant will not be able to take money from the leadership PAC home when he leaves office and will instead use it to support political candidates.
Breazeale called it a “very magnanimous” act on the governor’s part. He referred all other questions to the governor’s office, which did not respond to requests for comment.
Other major recipients of funds from Bryant last year included the Mississippi Republican Party, which Bryant gave $64,000, and PoliticCap LLC, a Madison-based fundraising consultant firm, which received $82,850.