FEC Advisory Opinion on Federal
FEC Advisory Opinion on Federal Officials and State Campaigns
Just before today's meeting of the FEC, Commissioner David Mason filed a proposed revision of the General Counsel's draft advisory opinion in response to the questions of several Virginia state and local officeholders and Congressman Eric Cantor. They asked how much involvement Cantor could have in state and local campaigns. Mason's proposed changes would, like the proposal of Commissioner Bradley Smith, allow a federal candidate to ask for money generally but not ask for money above the federal limits. This reverses the presumption in the General Counsel's letter that the federal official or candidate would have to make an explicit statement that he or she was seeking money only within the federal limits.
The Campaign Legal Center filed a comment generally in support of the General Counsel's draft.
The Center for Responsive Politics filed a comment opposing Commissioner Smith's draft and generally supporting that of the General Counsel. However, the CRP would hold each person who speaks at an event responsible for the statements of other speakers.