Court Lets Political Parties Spend Freely

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, June 26) -- By a 7-2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court gave political parties maximum leeway to spend on behalf of congressional candidates.

As long as the party's expenditures are independent and not controlled or influenced by the candidate, federal limits on contributions do not apply, the court said. Such spending is a form of free speech, and limiting such spending would violate First Amendment protections.

The ruling, which could boost the role of parties in close races, came in a case involving state Republican Party spending in Colorado in a 1986 Senate race. The state party was cited by the Federal Election Commission for exceeding spending limits after it financed a radio blitz attacking then-Rep. Tim Wirth (D-Colo.).

Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who wrote the majority opinion, said if individuals, candidates and political action committees are not forbidden from making unlimited independent expenditures, there is no justification for a different standard for political parties.

The spending limits, passed in 1971, are based on the number of voting-age people in each state. In House races, the limit is about $30,000, and the limits range from $58,600 to $1.3 million in Senate campaigns.

In a statement, Martin Frost of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said the ruling is unlikely to affect this year's races, because the parties and candidates have been working closely together. Because of that, truly independent expenditures would be impossible at this point, Frost said.

The court ruling applies only to congressional races, but could have an impact on the parties' independent spending in presidential races, too.

Court Lets Political Parties Spend Freely

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