Terms of Service

1. Introduction and Acceptance

Welcome to Dark Horse Candidate (“Platform,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), a service operated by Longshot Labs LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company. By accessing or using Dark Horse Candidate at darkhorsecandidate.com (the “Site”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

Dark Horse Candidate is a for-profit commercial platform that facilitates conditional political contributions. Dark Horse Candidate is not a political action committee (PAC), political party, campaign committee, or any other type of political committee. Dark Horse Candidate operates as a commercial vendor and payment intermediary.

2. Eligibility

To use the Platform, you must:

1. Be at least 18 years of age;
2. Be a United States citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident (green card holder);
3. Not be a foreign national (as defined by 52 U.S.C. 30121);
4. Not be a federal government contractor (if making contributions);
5. Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement.

Corporate entities, labor organizations, foreign nationals, and federal government contractors are prohibited from making contributions through the Platform pursuant to federal law.

3. Account Registration

3.1 Required Information

To create an account, you must provide your full legal name, valid email address, mailing address, employer, and occupation. This information is required by federal law (52 U.S.C. 30104(b)(3)(A)) for contributions exceeding $200 in aggregate per calendar year.

3.2 Accuracy

You represent and warrant that all information you provide is accurate, current, and complete. Providing false or misleading information is grounds for account termination and may violate federal law.

3.3 Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use.

4. Attestations

4.1 Citizenship Attestation

Upon registration, you must affirm: “I am a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident (green card holder).” This attestation is recorded with a timestamp and version identifier.

4.2 Own-Funds Attestation

Each time you make a pledge, you must affirm: “This contribution is made from my own funds, and funds are not being provided to me by another person or entity for the purpose of making this contribution.” Making a contribution in the name of another person is a federal crime (52 U.S.C. 30122).

4.3 Legal Effect

These attestations are made under penalty of law. False attestations may result in civil and criminal penalties under the Federal Election Campaign Act.

5. How Dark Horse Candidate Works

5.1 Draft Campaigns

Any registered user may create a “draft campaign” urging a specific individual to run for a specific public office. Creating a campaign requires payment of a non-refundable campaign creation fee (see Section 7). All campaigns are subject to review and approval.

5.2 Pledges

Registered users may pledge a contribution to an active campaign. A pledge is a conditional commitment to contribute a specified dollar amount if and when the named individual officially files as a candidate. A pledge is not an immediate charge. Pledges may be updated or cancelled at any time before charging.

5.3 Campaign Trigger and Cooling-Off Period

A campaign is “triggered” when Dark Horse Candidate verifies that the named individual has officially filed as a candidate. Depending on whether the candidate's authorized campaign committee has already set up payment processing with Dark Horse Candidate, the trigger proceeds through one of two paths:

Path A — Filing Announcement, then Charge Notice (when committee onboarding is required): We announce the filing to all active pledgers by email and confirm that no charges will occur until a separate 48-hour charge notice is sent. Pledging remains open. We coordinate with the campaign committee to complete payment processing setup, which may take days or weeks. Once setup is complete, the campaign proceeds to the 48-hour charge notice.

Path B — Direct Charge Notice (when the committee is already onboarded): The filing announcement phase is skipped and the campaign proceeds directly to the 48-hour charge notice.

48-Hour Charge Notice (applies in both paths):

1. All active pledgers receive email notification with their exact charge date, amount, and a link to increase or cancel the pledge;
2. Charges are processed no earlier than 48 hours after the notice;
3. During the 48-hour window, pledgers may increase, decrease, or cancel their pledge;
4. After the window, remaining active pledges are charged to stored payment methods;
5. Pledgers receive an itemized receipt upon charge;
6. Contribution amounts are transmitted to the candidate's authorized campaign committee.

5.4 Campaign Expiration

If the named individual does not file by the campaign's deadline, the campaign expires, all pledges are cancelled, and no charges are made.

5.5 Primary-to-General Redirect

For primary election campaigns, pledgers may opt in to automatic pledge transfer to the linked general election campaign if the primary expires without a filing. Transfers are subject to the per-election contribution limit ($3,300). Any excess is released.

6. Role of Dark Horse Candidate as Conduit

Dark Horse Candidate acts solely as a conduit and commercial intermediary for contributions. We do not solicit contributions on behalf of any candidate, exercise discretion over contributed funds, coordinate with any candidate or campaign, or bundle contributions. We are not an agent of any candidate, campaign, or donor.

Federal law requires that contributor information be reported by recipient candidate committees. Dark Horse Candidate transmits this information along with contributed funds.

7. Fees

7.1 Campaign Creation Fee

Creating a campaign requires a $250 non-refundable platform fee, charged immediately. This fee is retained regardless of whether the campaign is approved, reaches its deadline, or is triggered.

7.2 Processing Fee

A 3.95% processing fee is added to each pledge amount at the time of charge. This fee is a platform service charge paid to Dark Horse Candidate and is not a political contribution to the candidate.

7.3 Optional Tip

Pledgers may optionally include a tip to Dark Horse Candidate. Tips are voluntary, may be set to $0, and are platform service charges — not political contributions.

7.4 Contribution Amount

100% of the contribution amount (your pledge) is transmitted to the candidate's authorized campaign committee upon trigger. The processing fee and any tip are separate charges retained by Dark Horse Candidate.

7.5 Total Charge

Total charged = contribution + processing fee (3.95%) + tip (if any). An itemized breakdown is displayed before you submit your pledge and included in your receipt.

7.6 Fee Disclosure

The processing fee and optional tip are platform service charges. They are not contributions to any candidate, campaign committee, or political organization, and they do not count toward the per-election contribution limit.

8. Contribution Limits

Federal law limits individual contributions to a candidate to $3,300 per election (2025-2026 cycle; subject to FEC adjustment). Dark Horse Candidate enforces this limit at the platform level. Pledges must be between $25 and $3,300 per candidate per election.

You are solely responsible for ensuring your total contributions to any candidate — including contributions made outside of Dark Horse Candidate — do not exceed applicable limits.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to: provide false personal information; make contributions in the name of another; use funds provided by another to contribute; use the Platform as a foreign national without permanent resident status; use the Platform as a federal government contractor; create campaigns for harassing or defamatory purposes; circumvent contribution limits; use automated systems to interact with the Platform; or interfere with Platform security.

10. Campaign Review

Dark Horse Candidate reviews all campaigns before activation. We may reject campaigns that name fictitious or ineligible persons, contain false or defamatory content, duplicate existing campaigns, or violate these Terms. Approval does not constitute endorsement.

10.1 Eligibility Review

We verify that the named draftee meets the constitutional eligibility requirements for the specified office:

• U.S. President / Vice President: at least 35 years old on election day, U.S. citizen by birth, U.S. resident for at least 14 years
• U.S. Senate: at least 30 years old on election day, U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, resident of the named state at time of election
• U.S. House: at least 25 years old on election day, U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, resident of the named state at time of election

Dark Horse Candidate does not independently verify these facts. Campaign creators attest to the draftee's eligibility, and administrative reviewers consult publicly available information. This review is applied uniformly across all campaigns regardless of party, ideology, or candidate identity. Campaigns rejected for failing eligibility receive a structured rejection reason. The $250 campaign creation fee is non-refundable as it covers the review itself.

11. Refunds and Cancellations

11.1 Before a Campaign Is Triggered

During the pledge phase, your card has not been charged. You may cancel your pledge at any time with one click on the campaign page. No refund is required because no payment has been taken.

11.2 During the 48-Hour Cooling-Off Period

When a campaign is triggered, all pledgers receive an email notification and a 48-hour window during which charges are not yet processed. You may cancel your pledge during this window. Cancelled pledges result in no charge and no refund is required.

11.3 After Your Card Is Charged

Once the cooling-off period ends and your card is charged, your contribution has been made. Refund requests after charge are handled on a case-by-case basis. Eligible scenarios include duplicate charges due to a technical error, billing errors (incorrect amount charged), and unauthorized transactions. To request a refund, email support@darkhorsecandidate.com with your name, the campaign name, and a description of the issue. We aim to respond within 2 business days.

Platform fees (processing fee and tip): we can refund these directly. Contribution amount: once charged, your contribution is transferred directly to the candidate's authorized campaign committee. Refunds of the contribution portion are handled by the campaign committee in accordance with FEC rules. We will forward your request to the committee on your behalf.

11.4 Campaign Creation Fee

The $250 campaign creation fee is non-refundable under all circumstances, including campaign rejection, expiration, or cancellation.

11.5 Failed Charges

If your payment method is declined when a campaign is triggered, we will retry up to 3 times over the following days. You will receive an email after each failed attempt with a link to update your payment method. If all retries fail, your pledge is marked as failed. You may update your payment method on the campaign page at any time to re-activate your pledge and have it retried on the next charge cycle.

11.6 Disputes and Chargebacks

If you believe a charge is unauthorized, please contact us first at support@darkhorsecandidate.com. We can often resolve issues faster than a formal bank dispute. If you do file a chargeback with your bank, we will provide transaction records as evidence.

12. Privacy

See our Privacy Policy for complete details on information collection, use, and disclosure. By using the Platform, you acknowledge that your contribution information may become part of the public record through FEC filings.

13. Disclaimers

Dark Horse Candidate does not endorse any candidate, political party, or position. We make no guarantee that any named individual will file as a candidate. The Platform is provided “as is” and “as available.” Nothing on the Platform constitutes legal, tax, or financial advice.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law: (a) Indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, and special damages. Our total liability for such claims shall not exceed the total platform fees (creation fees, processing fees, and tips) you have paid to us in the twelve months preceding the claim. (b) Direct damages. For direct damages — including claims relating to erroneous charges, duplicate charges, or processing errors attributable to the Platform — our total liability shall not exceed the total amount charged through the Platform on your behalf (including contribution amounts, processing fees, and tips) in the twelve months preceding the claim.

We are not liable for failed payment processing by Stripe or your financial institution; actions or inactions of any candidate, campaign, or political committee (including refund decisions by recipient committees regarding contribution amounts already transmitted); the accuracy of campaign information provided by campaign creators; or any losses caused by your failure to update your payment method or account information.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Dark Horse Candidate from any claims arising from your use of the Platform, violation of these Terms, violation of applicable law, or any false attestation or misrepresentation.

16. Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming and applicable federal law. Any dispute shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, conducted in Cheyenne, Wyoming. You waive any right to participate in a class action. Either party may seek injunctive relief for violations of intellectual property rights.

17. Modifications

We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users. Continued use constitutes acceptance.

18. Termination

You may close your account at any time by contacting support. We may suspend or terminate accounts for Terms violations, suspected fraud, or as required by law. Upon termination, active pledges are cancelled.

19. Miscellaneous

If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. These Terms and the Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement. Failure to enforce any provision does not constitute a waiver. You may not assign your rights under these Terms.

20. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact:
Longshot Labs LLC (d/b/a Dark Horse Candidate)
Customer support: support@darkhorsecandidate.com
Legal and administrative inquiries: admin@darkhorsecandidate.com
Address: 30 N Gould St, Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801