Supreme Court hears GOP bid to end party spending caps
The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 9 heard a Republican-led challenge, supported by the Trump administration, seeking to overturn a 2001 precedent and strike federal limits on how much political parties may spend in coordination with congressional and presidential candidates. With the FEC now agreeing the limits are unconstitutional, the Court appointed attorney Roman Martinez to defend the law; he urged dismissal as moot while the justices weighed arguments that current caps — ranging up to nearly $4 million for a California Senate race and $63,600 for most House races — improperly restrict party-candidate coordination.
📌 Key Facts
- Case filed in Ohio in 2022 by the NRCC and NRSC, joined by then‑Sen. JD Vance (now vice president) and then‑Rep. Steve Chabot.
- The challenged limits were upheld by the Supreme Court in 2001; current 2025 caps include nearly $4 million for coordinated spending in California Senate races and $63,600 for most House races ($127,200 in at‑large states).
- The Trump administration sided with Republicans; the FEC told the Court there is “no credible risk” it will enforce the limits, prompting the Court to appoint Roman Martinez to defend the statute and argue the case is moot.
📊 Relevant Data
In the 2023-2024 election cycle, Democratic party committees raised $1.3 billion, while Republican party committees raised $1 billion, representing a $300 million disparity.
Party committee fundraising, 2023-2024 — Ballotpedia
In the 2023-2024 election cycle, male donors contributed 67.69% of the total itemized political contributions ($6.97 billion out of $10.29 billion), compared to 32.31% by female donors, with males comprising about 49% of the adult population.
Donor Demographics — OpenSecrets
Following the 2010 Citizens United decision, outside spending in US federal elections increased from $574 million in 2008 to nearly $4.5 billion in 2024.
By the Numbers: 15 Years of Citizens United — OpenSecrets
Only about 1.3% of US adults (3.36 million out of 255 million) made itemized political contributions of $200 or more in the 2023-2024 election cycle.
Donor Demographics — OpenSecrets