The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission increased campaign contribution limits by more than 5% Tuesday. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)
The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission approved hikes to campaign contribution limits that will raise donation caps for next year’s legislative and other non-gubernatorial races by more than 5%.
The commission’s unanimous vote will increase the limit on contributions to candidates in those races from individuals, corporations, unions, and some other groups from $5,200 to $5,500 — a nearly 5.8% hike.
The adjustments approved Tuesday are the first made under the Elections Transparency Act, 2023 legislation that approved dramatic increases to New Jersey’s campaign contribution limits and requires the commission to index donation caps for inflation every two years.
Amanda Haines, the commission’s executive director, said the adjustments ensure “candidates and committees keep pace with fluctuations in the cost of running a campaign.”
New Jersey voters will choose a new governor next year and all 80 Assembly seats will be on the ballot as well.
Maximum allowable donations to municipal party organizations, political committees, and continuing political committees — or PACs — will rise from $14,400 to $15,200, and the latter two types of groups will be permitted to give candidates $17,300 per cycle, up from $16,400.
Contributions from municipal parties are not subject to donation limits.
In New Jersey, primary and general elections are separate cycles, meaning an individual donor could give a candidate $5,500 during a primary race and then make the same donation once the candidate has secured their party’s nomination.
The limit on contributions to state and county party organizations will rise from $75,000 to $79,000, while national party committees will be permitted to give state and county parties $152,000 per cycle, up from $144,000.
The commission determined the level of the increases by measuring how much advertising and other campaign costs had increased over a two-year period, finding they rose by a weighted average of 5.23%.
That rate was applied to existing limits, which were then rounded up to the next multiple of 100, as required by state law.
Over the summer, the commission set new contribution and spending limits for gubernatorial candidates, raising the donation cap from $4,900 to $5,800. Gubernatorial limits rose more because their inflation adjustment is applied every four years rather than every two.
Gubernatorial candidates can qualify to receive matching public funds — at a rate of two public dollars for every dollar raised from private sources — by raising at least $580,000.
Candidates who choose to receive matching public funds must agree to spend no more than $8.7 million during the primary and $18.5 million during the general election. They can receive up to $5.5 million in matched funds for the primary, or $12.5 million for the general.
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