Supreme Court Case Could End Limits on Party–Candidate Coordination

Overview

• The Supreme Court is expected to rule this spring in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC, a challenge to coordinated spending limits between party committees and federal candidates.
• Strategists from both parties are planning to route more TV and digital spending through campaigns, with some independent‑expenditure operations likely to be scaled back or shuttered if limits fall.
• Campaigns could access significantly cheaper ad rates through coordinated buys, with strategists citing disparities as large as 12-to-1 compared with independent expenditures.
• Party committees could directly underwrite core campaign functions — from senior staff and offices to ground and digital operations — consolidating control within party organizations.
• Experts warn the shift would elevate high-dollar donors and diminish small-dollar influence, as committees can take individual gifts up to $44,300 compared with $3,500 for candidate committees, though the Court’s decision remains pending.