Before he even takes the reins as Senate majority leader, McConnell and his allies are quietly trying to engineer a bold plan that would enable party leaders to rely more on major contributions to independent groups while also removing restrictions on the ability of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and other party committees to interact with candidates. The outside cash would be raised by a pair of linked groups — a super PAC and 501(c)4 nonprofit — that could accept unlimited cash to boost key GOP Senate candidates, according to sources familiar with the plan. The inside cash would flow to the NRSC, which could operate more freely under an election law change McConnell began pushing this week. The two-pronged campaign finance initiative, coming only a month after the GOP’s midterm triumph, reflects McConnell’s intense interest in the money side of politics and his desire to strengthen the hand of the Republican establishment against more ideologically rigid conservative outside groups. It also underscores the difficult plight facing Republicans in 2016, when the party must defend a whopping 24 seats to the Democrats’ 10.
Source: The money majority - POLITICO
Bloomberg BNA reports that “for now,” Sen. Mitch McConnell has backed away from the strategy Paul Blumenthal describes below. But campaign reformers remain “wary that the incoming Senate majority leader would renew efforts to roll back limits on campaign money when Republicans take over the Senate following the current, lame-duck session.” Stay tuned… WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) is trying to use a massive appropriations bill to loosen campaign finance rules. The Republican leader’s office is attempting to attach a policy rider to the omnibus bill that would effectively end limits imposed on coordinated spending by federal candidates and political party committees.
Source: How a Slick Move by Mitch McConnell Could Roll Back Campaign Finance Laws | BillMoyers.com
