Change in campaign finance law could help smaller-party budgets

Via Richard Winger: http://www.ballot-access.org/2014/12/congress-likely-to-allow-much-larger-contributions-to-political-parties/

Among the provisions tucked away in the “cromnibus” spending bill being rushed through Congress, and that just cleared its main hurdle by passing the House, is an interesting change to current law that could potentially have a substantial impact on minor parties.

The amendment would triple the current contribution limits for national political parties, provided the funds are earmarked for one of three purposes: conventions, legal expenses, or headquarters. These three categories together represent a majority of party expenses, particularly for smaller parties.

It’s been observed by many, that the individual contribution limits proportionally hit minor-party committees harder than the big two. Most coverage of the bill focuses on the impact on Republicans and Democrats, who hope to have more donations go to the official parties rather than independent PACs.

The upshot for other parties, is that all of their ideologically-driven maxed-out donors could significantly increase their financial support for the alternative party of their choice. Those numbers are not huge, particularly compared to the major parties, but they do constitute a significant chunk of the regular budget for such parties.

The Libertarian Party already has a dedicated headquarters fund which could qualify for the increased contribution limits. Other parties with FEC-registered national committees who would stand to benefit include the Green, Constitution, Socialist, Natural Law, and Reform Parties.