FEC Record: Compliance

2012 Coordinated Party Expenditure Limits

The 2012 coordinated party expenditure limits are now available. The limits are:

• $91,200 for House nominees in states that have only one U.S. House Representative;
• $45,600 for House nominees in states that have more than one U.S. House Representative; and
• A range from $91,200 to $2,593,100 for Senate nominees, depending on each state’s voting age population.

Party committees may make these special expenditures on be­half of their 2012 general election nominees. National party commit­tees have a separate limit for each nominee. The national Senatorial and Congressional committees do not have separate coordinated party expenditure limits, but may receive authorization to spend against the national limit or state party limits. Each state party committee has a separate limit for each House and Senate nominee in its state. Local party committees do not have their own separate limit. One party committee may authorize another committee of that party to make an expenditure against the authorizing committee’s limit. Local committees may only make coordinated party expenditures with advance authorization from another committee within the party.

Coordinated party expenditure limits are separate from the contribu­tion limits; they also differ from con­tributions in that the party committee must spend the funds on behalf of the candidate rather than give the money directly to the campaign. Although these expenditures may be made in consultation with the candidate, only the party committee making the expenditure—not the candidate committee—must report them. (Coordinated party expenditures are reported on FEC Form 3X, line 25, and are always itemized on Schedule F, regardless of amount.)

Click here to view the 2012 coordinated party expenditure limits. The link also includes information on which party committees have the authority to make coordinated party expendi­tures; the formula used to calculate the coordinated party expenditure limits; and a listing of the state-by-state coordinated party expenditure limits for senate candidates

For additional information on coordinated party expenditures, please consult the Campaign Guide for Political Party Committees. [PDF]

(Posted 2/17/2012; By: Zainab Smith)

Resources:

• FEC Compliance Map
• Coordinated Communications and Independent Expenditures Brochure

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