By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – State political parties could have to campaign on slimmer budgets, or look for new sources of money, if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a federal law.
The law stops national parties from raking in large, unregulated campaign donations.
A government watchdog group says a six-year study of Missouri and 12 other states finds that national parties supplied nearly one-third of the money their state-level parties used to directly aid state-level candidates.
Also involved are funds that indirectly benefit state and federal candidates.
The campaign finance law being challenged bars national political committees from raising "soft money," and passing it on to their state parties.
The report by The Institute on Money in State Politics says 61 state and legislative party committees in the 13 states received $917 million in soft money contributions during the 1998, 2000 and 2002 election cycles.