Louisiana lawmakers have traditionally written the laws that limit how much money donors can contribute to campaigns for state office. But Jeremy Alford says lawmakers are now taking a backseat to the courts, especially when it comes to super PACs, which are political action committees that can raise unlimited amounts of money.
“No check is too big for these groups,” writes Alford in his latest column. “So it should surprise no one that the super PAC has become the must-have accessory for this year’s statewide elections. They’ve already emerged in the races for governor and attorney general, with more on the way. While they’re not exactly new to Louisiana, this is the first time they’ll feature prominently in state elections.”
Alford notes the super PAC floodgates were sprung open last May, when The Fund For Louisiana’s Future, a super PAC established to back U.S. Sen. David Vitter, was established.
“That’s when a federal judge ruled that super PACs can ignore the $100,000 giving cap in state law, mirroring earlier action on the federal level. The Louisiana Board of Ethics chose not to appeal the decision, which is now the guiding case law in the state pertaining to super PACs,” Alford writes. “That’s to say you won’t find anything in Louisiana law specifically about super PACs. The architects behind them are feeling their way around in the dark by testing boundaries.”
Alford says the one big restriction for these groups is they cannot coordinate with the candidates and campaigns they are supporting; everything else is a little loose.
“We’re basically watching a grand fundraising experiment,” he writes. “It’s unclear whether lawmakers will try to weigh in on the issue during the regular session that convenes on April 13, but they may have to eventually based on volume alone.”
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
