Anne Arundel council candidate repays campaign funds spent on Waffle House, monster trucks

Geonta Simmons knows he messed up.

Last year, Simmons, who’s running as a Democrat for the District 1 seat on the Anne Arundel County Council, spent campaign money dozens of times at fast-casual and fast-food restaurants, on tickets for a monster truck show and even at a Waffle House in North Carolina.

Between March 2025 and January of this year, the first-time candidate spent $5,426.56, according to an annual campaign finance report.

Of that, at least $1,612 was spent at eateries like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Chipotle and Outback Steakhouse, according to a Banner analysis — accounting for nearly 30% of the money his campaign spent.

“As a first-time candidate, we’re all going to make some mistakes,” said Simmons, 25.

A lot of that spending, he said, came when he was doing work related to the campaign, whether it was meeting people, knocking on doors or writing postcards to potential voters. He said he agreed that the spending “just doesn’t look good.”

Simmons has reimbursed the campaign for multiple food or other expenses that were not campaign-related, he said.

He said he spoke with the State Board of Elections about what he should repay, because he did not want to “raise any suspicion.” Some expenses were “made in error” and some were from misunderstanding what a “campaign-related expenditure could be.”

“I take full responsibility,” Simmons said.

He could not remember exactly how much money he’s given back to the campaign, he said; reimbursements would be reflected on the pre-primary finance report due from candidates May 19.

It’s “not unusual” for campaigns to spend money on food while out doing field work, said Rachael Rice, a long-time political consultant. However, she said, if she were advising his campaign, she’d ask about the spending because it raises questions.

In the best-case scenario, Rice said, it’s “just sort of sloppy.” If she were dropped into the campaign today, Rice said, she’d ask Simmons to rectify any spending that “did not fit the letter of the law.”

Simmons highlighted two expenses he remembers paying back — $44.25 at a Waffle House in North Carolina on July 24 and $88.64 for tickets to a monster truck show on July 11.

“My credit card looks exactly like my campaign card,” Simmons said. “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?’”

Maryland campaign finance law allows spending at restaurants only if the expenses would not have been incurred but for the campaign.

In addition to the restaurant spending, about 14% of Simmons’ campaign spending was at grocery stores, such as Walmart or Sam’s Club, including two separate transactions on Aug. 21 at Sam’s Club, totaling $102.74, and a $206.95 transaction on Aug. 26 at Giant.

Simmons is one of three Democrats running to replace Pete Smith to represent northwestern Anne Arundel, which stretches from just north of Fort Meade to Brooklyn Park, and includes BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, Arundel Mills Mall, and communities including Jessup and Hanover.

Simmons spent much of his early life in Brooklyn Park, and said he became interested in politics in high school. His desire to run for office came from his community.

“It stemmed from me living in Brooklyn Park. Brooklyn Park is one of the most underserved communities in District 1,” he said. “My passion starts from wanting to change Brooklyn Park, and then there are a plethora of issues that come from everything else in local government.”

Simmons’ opponents in the June 23 Democratic primary are Robert Kinney and Kelly Smith. Kinney filed to run in February this year and so has not filed a campaign finance report.

Smith, according to her annual filing, spent $6,735.05 between June 2025 and mid-January of this year. Most of her transactions were processing fees with ActBlue or Stripe, which manage donations, and her single biggest expense was $3,575 to Dent Consulting Group.

Her campaign also spent $202.55 for a money order to pay a food vendor for an Aug. 13 event, and spent $108.91 on popcorn and popcorn supplies for another event. Smith did not expense any meals.

Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, said the organization doesn’t take a position on how candidates spend their money, but wants to ensure that money is being used “to advance” campaigns.

Antoine did not review Simmons’ finance report and said it was reasonable for a candidate to spend some money on food for staff or volunteers.

“But when you get to the point where it’s near 30% of your spending, then it is concerning,” she said.

The relatively small amount of money that the campaign has drawn in, Antoine said, made the situation especially concerning.

Most of Simmons’ campaign expenditures were made on a debit card. Under Maryland campaign finance law, the campaign treasurer, not the candidate, is the only person authorized to make campaign purchases — except for very limited extenuating circumstances.

Destiny M. Haynes is listed as the treasurer for Simmons’ campaign. Her LinkedIn profile doesn’t indicate that she’s had previous campaign experience.

If a campaign has a debit card, “the treasurer should have the debit card in their possession,” said Ebony Parran, who works in the candidacy and campaign finance office of the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Parran said there are no limits on how much a candidate can spend on different types of expenses, such as food. If a complaint about campaign spending reached the State Board of Elections, she said, it would conduct an investigation and look for documentation to justify the spending as a campaign expense.

The State Board of Elections can issue civil penalties or refer matters to the Office of the State Prosecutor, she said.

Banner data journalist Allan James Vestal contributed to this story.