Will Supreme Court ruling unleash Washington state's big political donors?
Contributed
Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, president of Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, is ranked eighth in the nation among hard-money political donors. He supports Republicans.
- Ashley Stewart[1]
- Staff Writer- Puget Sound Business Journal
- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.[2] | Twitter[3]
Washington state’s big-money political donors could have more options – and more influence – after the U.S. Supreme Court this week loosened limits on individual campaign contributions.
The ruling means individuals will be able to pour even more money into federal campaigns, and some of the people most likely to be unleashed by the decision are in Washington.
Twelve residents of Washington state reached the $117,000 federal cap on contributions during 2012’s election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Among them, three are on the list of the nation’s top 30 contributors.
Now, that cap is gone, and some worry that a small number of people will have even more control of the nation’s political process. Donors still can’t give more than $2,600 to one candidate each election, meaning primary and general, but they can now donate to more candidates.
“It’s crippling for democracy,” said Alice Woldt[4], executive director for Washington Public Campaigns, a state-wide organization against private campaign financing. The decision “removes one more screen to allow the wealthiest of individuals to buy our public officials and stop out the voice of voters.”
Previously, wealthy donors were limited in the aggregate amount they could give to federal candidates, parties and political action committees in each two-year election cycle. This cycle, the cap would have risen to $132,200, and Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling on April 2 allows donors to vastly expand their giving — for example, they can now donate to a candidate in every U.S. House and Senate race. The majority, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, said that caps on campaign contributions limit free speech and give government too much control over the political process.
References
- ^ Ashley Stewart (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Twitter (twitter.com)
- ^ Alice Woldt (feeds.bizjournals.com)