Whoever, directly or indirectly, promises any... position... provided for... by any Act of Congress... to any person as... reward for any political activity... in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office
The parsing you cited as "reward... in connection with any primary election" could refer to paying people for "get out the vote" activities. That "reward" is the quid, but what is the "quo?" The "quo" is not any activity relating to an election.
I'm saying that the "quo" is "any political activity," but not a "political inactivity." You cannot criminalize not running. You can criminalize running and then taking a "reward" to stop running.
-PJ
The “quo” is conditional. If the job is in exchange for non-action (i.e. the job will not be given if the bribee decides to run), then that is the condition for the “quid”.
Saying I will give you X in exchange for Y is the equation. If Y = “Not running”, the condition is still the same.
AHA! I think you are missing the point. The person to whom the bribe is offered is not the criminal.
You can't criminalize not running, but this law sure as heck criminalizes bribing someone not to run. The bribe is the active component, not the decision to run or not.