Corporate donations to legislative and presidential campaigns are no longer restricted to maximum caps on their amount after a U.S. Supreme Court decision Tuesday overturned a 63-year-old law.
In a 5-4 decision, the court decided corporations should be allowed under the First Amendment to draw from their own treasuries to fund campaigns. The ruling also effectively overturns part of the McCain-Feingold Act restricting corporate-funded issue ads.
According to Jay Heck, director of the government reform group Common Cause in Wisconsin, the decision ""opens up the floodgates"" for special interest funds. Heck said the net effect in Wisconsin will be an influx of money in legislative and gubernatorial elections.
""For those of us who think there is already too much special interest money in elections, this is not a happy day,"" he said.
Julie Laundrie, spokesperson for state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, said the ruling is ""bad for democracy."" She said because the ruling threatens Wisconsin's ban on corporate contributions, Erpenbach plans to go forward with an issue ad disclosure bill he authored, which recently passed the state Senate.
""If our corporate ban is in fact overturned, more than ever we need to know where that money is coming from,"" she said.
Although some believe the decision will have wide-ranging and detrimental effects, others say they are skeptical about how much the campaign funding landscape will actually change.
Donald Downs, UW-Madison political science professor, said because the decision applies universally to all political groups, he doubts there will be a large change in outcomes.
""There is big money on the left, and there is big money on the right. I think in terms of the overall balance, I don't see a big change. It would make it harder for smaller sources of money to have any kind of impact, but that's already the case,"" he said.
Laundrie said she thinks the decision will likely be challenged by the public, and Heck agreed.
""I think it will be revisited, particularly after the 2010 elections when we see just how much corporate money and outside money is going to be influencing these elections,"" Heck said. ""This isn't the end of the story.""
