COLOMBIA – At a time when the public climate says there is a lot of money in politics, some state legislators think it is time to raise the donation ceiling.
Three House Republicans are behind an effort to double the donation limit that an ordinary citizen can give to their favorite politician, whether he is a candidate for governor, sheriff, legislature or anyone else.
State Representative B. Newton, R-Lancaster, the main sponsor, said the issue boils down to inflation and the fact that South Carolina’s legislative districts – particularly the suburbs – have seen a population explosion in recent years.
This made it much more expensive to send your messages under the current $ 1,000 per person limit.
“Districts have been growing for the past two decades, but this difficult number ($ 1,000 per local candidate) has not increased,” Newton told Palmetto Politics. “And although you have more voters to reach, you also have the same limit per donation.”
Current donor limits were last raised in 1992, in the post-Operation Lost Trust period, a reference to the FBI’s secret action against Statehouse lawmakers that was fueled by bribes linked to a parimutuel gambling bill.
Almost 30 politicians and other figures were arrested.
Under Newton’s House Bill 3197, candidates for office across the state (including governor and constitutional offices) would see their individual donation limit go to $ 7,000 per person, compared to the current $ 3,500.
All other offices would see their limit increased to $ 2,000 per donor from $ 1,000.
“This $ 1,000 cap is getting less and less purchasing power each year,” said Newton, who is sponsoring the effort with representatives. Sandy McGarry, R-Lancaster and Micah Caskey, R-West Columbia.
Is more money needed in politics? Newton is among those who consider campaign money to be a recognized form of freedom of speech, so in his opinion, yes.
Some also say that raising the limit could help clean up one of the most controversial aspects of the state’s campaign: unregulated third-party groups that can play infinite sums of money in the election season.
South Carolina is known for its weak campaign finance laws, in which people who donate directly to candidates are subject to state contribution limits, while armored issue-oriented groups are not.
Republican political adviser Walter Whetsell argued that if a responsible donor could give more to a candidate than the current limit, his check would turn into money that is publicly disclosed, rather than going to so-called “dark money” groups.
Interviews with the heads of the two main political parties in the state show that the idea of increasing spending limits is something they could avoid – it has been almost 30 years since the limits were resolved.
“We are not against that,” said state Republican President Drew McKissick.
State Democratic Party chairman Trav Robertson said he is not against raising the stakes, but is concerned about making the playing field as “egalitarian” as possible.
For example, he noted, a black woman, in her experience, faces ten times more difficulty raising money than a white man.
Newton’s project is in the legislative stream, but has not yet been scheduled for an audience. He thinks that even with the redistribution coming this year, the new districts will still be large enough that the campaign limits are outside the limits of today’s costs and state growth.
“It costs more to run,” he said.
Catch up Schuyler Kropf at 843-937-5551. Follow him on Twitter at @ skropf47.