Court ruling allows party committees to coordinate spending with candidates

A federal court ruled that party committees may spend unlimited sums in coordination with candidates. The decision removes previous limits that had restricted such spending for decades. The ruling allows committees to use candidate advertising rates, which are reported to be three to thirteen times cheaper than committee rates.

Committees can also access negotiated streaming packages and lower postage rates previously unavailable to them.

Campaign preparations One committee announced it would end its independent spending operations and shift to coordinated purchases. Officials said they had spent months preparing for the outcome. The same ruling permits committees to work directly with campaigns on messaging and placement decisions that had been capped under prior rules.

Fundraising comparison As of the end of May, one national party committee reported $125 million in cash on hand while the opposing national committee reported $15 million plus $18 million in debt. The Senate campaign committee for one party held $49 million compared with $39 million for its counterpart.

Officials from the committee that brought the case stated the tool is available to both parties. They noted that the opposing party maintains an advantage in small-dollar contributions.