Former Biden Official and Reno Mayoral Candidate Kate Marshall Hit with Dual Complaints Over Campaign Finance and Hatch Act Violations

Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael J. McDonald has filed a formal Election Integrity Violation Report with the Nevada Secretary of State alleging that former Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall repeatedly violated state campaign finance laws by illegally retaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in unspent contributions long after she resigned her office and while serving in the Biden White House (see below).

In a separate complaint filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (Case No. HA-26-000338), Marshall is now also accused of violating the federal Hatch Act by knowingly accepting a $500 partisan campaign contribution while employed in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (see below).

The dual complaints paint a picture of a high-ranking Democrat who allegedly flouted both state and federal election laws while drawing a federal paycheck, and who now faces fresh scrutiny as she runs for mayor of Reno.

According to the detailed complaint filed April 30, 2026, Marshall resigned as Nevada’s Lieutenant Governor effective September 17, 2021. Under then-applicable Nevada law (NRS 294A.160), she was required to dispose of any remaining campaign contributions by November 15, 2021. Instead, she retained approximately $120,436.39.

Marshall later qualified as a candidate for public office on January 17, 2022, when she accepted a $500 contribution from the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA). That same day, while still employed full-time in the Biden White House, her official Contributions and Expenses (C&E) report listed the office sought as “Lieutenant Governor,” a partisan position.

The complaint notes that under the Hatch Act, federal employees are strictly prohibited from knowingly soliciting, accepting, or receiving political contributions for partisan political office. The law applies directly to White House staff in the Executive Office of the President.

“Kate Marshall clearly violated the Hatch Act,” the filing asserts. “She did so by accepting contributions for a partisan political office, Lieutenant Governor, while a covered White House employee in January 2022.”

The Hatch Act complaint further explains that Marshall’s own signed C&E filing — submitted under penalty of perjury — is what incriminates her. She cannot credibly claim the contribution was intended for a nonpartisan race, as Lieutenant Governor is explicitly partisan under Nevada law.

Separately, the Nevada campaign finance complaint alleges Marshall also violated state deadlines for disposing of contributions even after qualifying as a candidate in 2022. She had until January 17, 2026, to either file for office or appear on a ballot. When she failed to do so, she was required to disgorge the remaining funds—approximately $173,000 as of early 2026—rather than carry them forward into her current campaign for Reno mayor, for which she filed a declaration of candidacy on March 2, 2026.

A worksheet attached to the complaint details how Marshall’s campaign account grew from roughly $120,000 after her resignation to more than $309,000 in total raised between 2021 and 2025, with hundreds of thousands still on hand when she should have disposed of the money.

The Nevada Secretary of State and Attorney General have authority to enforce these violations, which carry civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation. The complaint requests full disgorgement of the improperly retained funds.

Marshall’s transition from the White House back to Nevada politics has drawn renewed attention to questions of election integrity and whether federal employees can use their positions, and old campaign war chests, as an advantage for future campaigns. 

The California Globe reached out to Kate Marshall’s campaign for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

We will continue to monitor both the state and federal investigations into these serious allegations.