Campaign Finance Restrictions Policy - Political Parties and Stances

Campaign finance and the first amendment have long been intertwined since the decision in Citizens United v. FCE, leading to requirements of disclosure of funds for candidates running for political office. However, the main issue as it pertains to election spending is how much a candidate should be able to spend on his/her campaign. Democrats are more likely to support limits on campaign spending than Republicans, and there is a similar gap in views on whether effective laws could be written. On the other side of the aisle, 71% of Republicans say there should be limits on campaign spending and 54% say new laws that would be effective in limiting the influence of money in politics could help remedy issues that are visible in American politics. Among Democrats, even larger majorities favor spending limits (85%) and think new laws would be effective (77%). Despite both parties’ desire to limit campaign spending, no bill after 1991 has been presented to Congress in an attempt to limit spending on campaigns. Some politicians, like Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Elisabeth Warren, have sponsored Senate Bill 2232, which “revises the composition of the Federal Election Commission by reducing the number of members from six to five with no more than two members allowed to be affiliated with the same party.” So, while both Republicans and Democrats are in favor of placing restrictions on campaign spending, this sentiment does not seem to be shared by the parties in government.