The candidate's date of ineligibility shall be whichever date by operation of 11 CFR 9033.5 (a), (b), or (c) occurs first. After the candidate's date of ineligibility, he or she may only receive matching payments to the extent that he or she has net outstanding campaign obligations as defined in 11 CFR 9034.5.

(a) Inactive candidate. The ineligibility date shall be the day on which an individual ceases to be a candidate because he or she is not actively conducting campaigns in more than one State in connection with seeking the Presidential nomination. This date shall be the earliest of—

(1) The date the candidate publicly announces that he or she will not be actively conducting campaigns in more than one State; or

(2) The date the candidate notifies the Commission by letter that he or she is not actively conducting campaigns in more than one State; or

(3) The date which the Commission determines under 11 CFR 9033.6 to be the date that the candidate is not actively seeking election in more than one State.

(b) Insufficient votes. The ineligibility date shall be the 30th day following the date of the second consecutive primary election in which such individual receives less than 10 percent of the number of popular votes cast for all candidates of the same party for the same office in that primary election, if the candidate permitted or authorized his or her name to appear on the ballot, unless the candidate certifies to the Commission at least 25 business days prior to the primary that he or she will not be an active candidate in the primary involved.

(1) The Commission may refuse to accept the candidate's certification if it determines under 11 CFR 9033.7 that the candidate is an active candidate in the primary involved.

(2) For purposes of this paragraph, if the candidate is running in two primary elections in different States on the same date, the highest percentage of votes the candidate receives in any one State will govern. Separate primary elections held in more than one State on the same date are not deemed to be consecutive primaries. If two primary elections are held on the same date in the same State (e.g., a primary to select delegates to a national nominating convention and a primary for the expression of preference for the nomination of candidates for election to the office of President), the highest percentage of votes a candidate receives in either election will govern. If two or more primaries are held in the same State on different dates, the earliest primary will govern.

(3) If the candidate certifies that he or she will not be an active candidate in a particular primary, and the Commission accepts the candidate's certification, the primary involved shall not be counted in determining the candidate's date of ineligibility under paragraph (b) of this section, regardless of the percentage of popular votes cast for the candidate in that primary.

(c) End of matching payment period. The ineligibility date shall be the last day of the matching payment period for the candidate as specified in 11 CFR 9032.6.

(d) Reestablishment of eligibility. If the Commission has determined that a candidate is ineligible under 11 CFR 9033.5 (a) or (b), the candidate may reestablish eligibility to receive matching funds under 11 CFR 9033.8.