Mike Thompson: “Section 213 of the bill allows the political parties to choose to make either coordinated expenditures or independent…”

“Section 213 of the bill allows the political parties to choose to make either coordinated expenditures or independent expenditures on behalf of each of their candidates, but not both. This choice is to be made after the party nominates its candidate, when the party makes its first post-nomination expenditure--either coordinated or independent--on behalf of the candidate. This provision is entirely consistent with the Supreme Court's rulings in the two Colorado Republican cases. In the first of those cases, the Court held that a party had a constitutional right to make unlimited independent expenditures, using hard money funds, on behalf of its candidates. But of course, those party expenditures must be fully and completely independent of the candidate and his campaign. The second Colorado Republican case held that Congress may limit the size of coordinated expenditures made by parties on behalf of their candidates, in order to deter corruption and the appearance of corruption that could result from unlimited expenditures that are coordinated.”