HELENA — Sen. Max Baucus’ campaign account reported having $3.3 million left in the bank on Sept. 30, even after refunding more than $1.2 million in donations since he decided in April not to seek re-election.

What will become of the leftover money in the Friends of Max Baucus bank account is not yet certain.

“Sen. Baucus has not yet made any decisions about what to do with his remaining campaign funds,” spokeswoman Kathy Weber said. “He intends to adhere to all Federal Election Commission laws and regulations regarding the management and disposition of the remaining campaign funds.”

The National Journal, in an article Sunday, discussed senators’ leftover money in an article headlined, “Senators will retire, but their money lives on.”

“Retiring lawmakers have great flexibility in what they can do with leftover campaign money,” the National Journal said. “They can pay campaign debt, hire consultants, donate to charities, help political allies — just about anything but spending it on personal use.”

The article added, “The millions of dollars that retiring lawmakers hold in campaign accounts and PACs will go to funding colleagues and party committees, maintaining influence and sustaining political alliances — helpful stuff for life after Congress.”

Baucus had been raising money aggressively before his surprise announcement in April 2013 that he wouldn’t seek a seventh Senate term in 2014.

The Democratic senator now is expected to leave the Senate about a year earlier than he planned in April.

Last month, President Barack Obama said he was going to nominate Baucus as the next U.S. ambassador to China. Once confirmed by the Senate, Baucus would resign as a senator.

Baucus will be under new guidelines once he has been confirmed, Weber said. As a result, he and his staff are consulting with his compliance team on the best way to close down the campaign on an expedited schedule.

“It is important to Max that we comply with all requirements while at the same time, helping to support the infrastructure he helped build in the state,” she said.

Since Baucus announced he wasn’t seeking re-election, Friends of Max Baucus donated $100,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C., $50,000 to the Montana Democratic Party and $25,000 to the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and $5,000 to Emily’s List, a Washington group that helps elect women who support abortion rights.

Baucus also has a separate leadership political action committee called Glacier PAC. Its latest report showed it had about $21,800 left in the bank as of Nov. 30. It received $462,600 in donations through 11 months of last year and spent $295,400.

Glacier PAC made $152,500 in donations to other political committees and $34,600 in other donations, including those of a number of Democratic senators or Senate candidates across the country who are running in 2014. That includes $10,000 to Lt. Gov. John Walsh who is seeking the Senate seat from Montana.

The PAC also contributed $10,000 to John Lewis, a former Baucus aide who is running Montana’s lone U.S. House seat

The Baucus PAC donated $15,000 more to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, $10,000 more to the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, $9,000 more to the Montana Democratic Party, $5,000 to NARAL Pro-Choice Montana, $5,000 to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s campaign committee, and $5,000 to Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe’s campaign.

Some of these donations were made before Baucus pulled out of the race.

Distributed by MCT Information Services