7/2/2008

in

As a means of sidestepping FEC regulations on campaign spending caps, the RNC will run an ad campaign through an independent arm of the RNC, which will not face restrictions on campaign spending.

Justin Zaremba

According to the Associated Press, an independent arm of the Republican National Committee plans to spend $3 million on an ad campaign contrasting the positions of GOP presidential candidate John McCain to Democrat Barack Obama on energy security.  
  
Beginning Sunday, the RNC will run the ad in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The ad represents the first of the RNC's independent expenditure operation.  
  
Brad Todd, a Republican media consultant for On Message Inc., a media and polling firm that worked on Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, will oversee the ad campaign.  
  
The RNC can effectively sidestep FEC regulations by setting up a separate organization within the RNC. In effect, the party can spend unlimited resources on McCain's behalf as long as the "independent" organization does not coordinate with McCain's campaign.  
  
Todd said, "Following Barack Obama's decision to become the only major party presidential candidate in history to not adhere to campaign spending caps, the Republican National Committee has begun an independent expenditure campaign in accordance with FEC regulations."  
  
McCain and the RNC have raised money together for a joint victory fund that can be used to coordinate efforts between the national party and the McCain campaign; however, the RNC is limited to spending no more than $19.1 million on coordinated activities.  
  
The independent operation within the RNC faces no such restriction. As a result, it can have no connection to the rest of the RNC or the McCain campaign.