Democrat, 25, caught spending thousands of dollars of campaign funds on Waffle House, McDonald's and MONSTER TRUCKS, report claims

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:13, 6 May 2026 | Updated: 22:14, 6 May 2026 A Democrat running for local office in Maryland spent thousands of campaign dollars on McDonald's, Waffle House, grocery runs, and a monster truck show, a new report has revealed.  Geonta Simmons, 25, is one of four candidates running to replace Councilmember Vice Chair Pete Smith in the District 1 seat on the Anne Arundel County Council.  But, just a little over a month until the Democratic primary election, it has been revealed that Simmons shelled out $5,426.56 on fast food and entertainment between March 2025 and January 2026, according to an annual campaign finance report reviewed by The Baltimore Banner.  Simmons, a first-time candidate who grew up in Brooklyn Park, spent at least $1,612 at popular fast food joints like McDonald's, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Outback Steakhouse, and Chipotle, an analysis conducted by the Banner stated.  While approximately 30 percent of his campaign funds were spent on takeout, nearly 14 percent was used on grocery hauls, the report added.  He used campaign money to pay for bills at Walmart or Sam's Club, including one purchase for $102.74 at the membership warehouse club on August 21, 2025, the finance report detailed.  Simmons also spent $206.95 on August 26, 2025, at a Giant grocery store, per the report.  When asked about his campaign spending habits, Simmons confessed that it 'just doesn't look good,' the young politician told the Banner.  Geonta Simmons, a Democrat running for the District 1 seat on the Anne Arundel County Council, shelled out $5,426.56 on fast food and entertainment from his campaign fund, according to an annual campaign finance report 'I take full responsibility,' Simmons said, adding that most of the costs were for campaign-related tasks. 'As a first-time candidate, we're all going to make some mistakes.'  With that, Simmons revealed that he has since reimbursed the campaign for food orders and other expenses that were not related to the cause, he told the outlet.  It is unclear exactly how much money he gave back and the specifics of each payment, but he did recall paying back a $44.25 bill at a Waffle House in North Carolina, and $88.64 for tickets to a monster truck show, Simmons stated.  He also mentioned that he spoke directly with the State Board of Elections about the issue because he didn't want to 'raise any suspicion.'  He told the outlet that some of the reported expenses were 'made in error' while some stemmed from not understanding what a 'campaign-related expenditure could be.'  'My credit card looks exactly like my campaign card,' he added. 'And I didn't notice until I was doing the finance reports, and we were like, "Oh my God, did someone, like, hack into our account?"'   According to Simmons, his reimbursements should show up on the pre-primary finance report that candidates are supposed to submit by May 19.  Simmons, a first-time candidate who grew up in Brooklyn Park, spent at least $1,612 at popular fast food joints like McDonald's, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Outback Steakhouse, and Chipotle, per the report Under Maryland campaign finance laws, campaign funds are allowed to be spent at restaurants if it relates to legitimate political reasons.  The law also states that only the campaign treasurer is allowed to authorize related purchases, not the candidate.  Destiny Haynes is listed as Simmons' treasurer on his campaign website.  According to Haynes' LinkedIn profile, she has been in the role since February 2025.  She attended Anne Arundel Community College, but her page did not indicate if she's worked for a campaign before. The Democratic Primary election is set for June 23, 2026.  The Daily Mail contacted Simmons and the State Board of Elections for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.