A Republican senator from Kansas says he’s settled a long-standing debt with a bakery whose complaint against him went viral amid his reelection bid. Sen. Roger Marshall took to social media on Sunday to say he had apologized and doubly repaid the $678.75 bill from Holly’s Sweet Treats for cookies, cupcakes and brownies purchased for his 2020 election watch party, per the Hill. Three days earlier, shop owner Holly Thomas had publicly flagged the six-year-old debt, claiming she “made repeated attempts to collect payment” over the course of a year as her small business struggled amid the pandemic. “That experience is why Roger Marshall will never get my vote,” she wrote, per the Guardian.
Marshall said he had “absolutely no idea how this happened” while sharing a screenshot of a $1,300 payment to the bakery. Thomas later confirmed the payment had been received, writing, “Better late than never, right?” The episode comes after Marshall’s former obstetrics-gynecology practice filed aggressive debt-collection lawsuits against hundreds of patients who owed as little as $101, according to the New York Times‘ reporting. Patients were charged 18% annual interest, resulting in garnished paychecks and bank accounts. Social media critics pointed out that with 18% simple annual interest for six years, Marshall would have owed Thomas more than $1,400, though he paid $1,300.