Philadelphia political parties can now spend unlimited money on candidates

Philadelphia political parties may now spend an unlimited amount of money when coordinating with candidates, the city’s Board of Ethics ruled Wednesday.

The Sept. 16 decision follows a June ruling from the United States Supreme Court that struck down federal limits on how political parties can spend on behalf of candidates. While other campaign financial restrictions remain in place, the ruling could change how candidates and political parties operate in Philadelphia elections.

Political campaigns are currently limited to $3,700 per year from individuals and $14,800 from organizations, alongside other restrictions.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s June ruling held that “constitutional text, history, and precedent establish that the political-party coordinated-expenditure limits violate the First Amendment.”

Under the new policy, Philadelphia parties may coordinate with candidates in general elections, but each party can set its own rules for primary spending.

“It will make our candidates be able to interact with other groups easily, and hopefully it will be a good day for the Republican Party of Philadelphia when we can have good funding to be victorious in some municipal elections,” Republican City Committee Chairman Vince Fenerty told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The policy is meant to set the base for municipal elections in 2027 and will be laid out in more detail by the Board of Ethics in the coming months.

Next year, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and all 17 members of the City Council will be up for reelection. Parker graduated from Penn’s Fels Institute of Government in 2016.

In November, Penn students will vote in the midterm elections. Among those in the race is progressive challenger and Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb (D-200), who clinched the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s third congressional district in May.

At the time, Rabb told The Daily Pennsylvanian that he had “nearly 8,000 donors — 10 times as many local donors as all of my opponents combined.”

His campaign raised nearly $250,000 from individuals who contributed $200 or less to his campaign. 1999 University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduate Pennsylvania State Sen. Sharif Street (D-3) and Penn professor Ala Stanford raised roughly $56,000 and $31,000 from small-dollar donors, respectively.

Gov. Josh Shapiro will also be up for re-election. Shapiro launched his bid to return to office in January and faces Republican challenger and Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity. 

Penn student groups took to Locust Walk this week to celebrate National Voter Registration Day. Penn Leads the Vote tabled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering merchandise, tote bag screen printing, and food as incentives.

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