Supreme Court Strikes Down Limits on Political Party Spending

The Supreme Court has struck down federal limits on the amount of money political committees can spend in coordination with federal candidates. This decision, reached by a 6-3 ideological split, further loosens restrictions on campaign finance just months before the midterm elections.

The ruling, stemming from the case National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, determined that caps on coordinated party expenditures violate the First Amendment. This aligns with recent decisions by the court's conservative majority, which have invalidated campaign finance limits by citing concerns over restricting political speech.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, stated the decision "treats all political parties equally." He argued it would allow parties to "participate more freely and compete more fully in the political process, and to coordinate more closely with their candidates."

The case specifically addressed limits established by the Federal Election Campaign Act. In the 2026 election cycle, party committees faced spending limits between $65,300 and $130,600 when coordinating with congressional campaigns, and up to $4 million with Senate candidates. Congress had previously amended the law in 2014 to permit unlimited coordinated spending on certain activities, such as election-recount lawsuits.

The challenge originated from a lawsuit filed by then-Senate candidate JD Vance, then-Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio, and two Republican committees, who argued the limits infringed upon the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause. While a federal appeals court initially upheld the caps, the Supreme Court's current 6-3 conservative majority has now overturned such restrictions, continuing a trend of decisions that have eased campaign finance regulations since 2010, including the landmark Citizens United v. FEC ruling.

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treats all political parties equally. It will allow all political parties, including the DNC and RNC and the respective Senate and House campaign committees, as well as other parties and party committees, to participate more freely and compete more fully in the political process, and to coordinate more closely with their candidates.