Zeroing Out Money for Buying Influence after Elections (ZOMBIE) Act

This bill aims to stop “zombie” campaign accounts from lingering after elections. It makes a candidate’s campaign committees and leadership PACs empty out all leftover money after an election. First, they must pay any unpaid campaign bills. Then, any remaining funds can only be sent back to donors or given to nonprofits, with limits to prevent self-dealing (no donations to groups tied to the candidate’s name or family, and no payouts to relatives, except to settle real campaign debts) .

If a former candidate wants to register as a lobbyist or as a foreign agent, they must first certify, under penalty of perjury, that their committees followed these rules. The requirements generally start with the November 2026 elections, and also apply to lobbyist and foreign-agent registrations filed on or after that time. There’s an exception if the person officially files to run again before the post-election disbursement period begins .

• Who: Federal candidates’ authorized committees and leadership PACs; former candidates who become lobbyists or foreign agents .
• What: Pay remaining bills, then only refund donors or donate to qualifying nonprofits; no funds to relatives or candidate-linked groups; certification required before lobbying/foreign-agent registration .
• When: Applies starting with the November 2026 general election and related registrations after that date; exception if the candidate files to run again in time .