Supreme Court Case Could Lift Party Coordination Limits, Giving GOP an Edge

Overview

• Justices are weighing a challenge to rules that limit how party committees can work with candidates, a change that could let parties buy campaign ads on more favorable terms.
• Republican committees reported $238 million on hand with no debt at March’s end, compared with $120 million and $18 million in debt for the three Democratic committees.
• Republican operatives say they are preparing to ramp up ad buying and other support if the court loosens coordination limits, according to an anonymous RNC official.
• Democratic strategists warn the shift would hand Republicans a structural advantage because party committees could function like extra campaign accounts for GOP candidates.
• The GOP House campaign arm is funding the case, and its counsel Ryan Dollar says a ruling in their favor would rival Citizens United in significance, though some analysts say real ad-rate gains remain uncertain.