National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Comm’n · ¶55

It is of course true that parties and their candidates often work closely together, as detailed above. That is the nature of political parties and campaigns. But their interests are not identical. The party’s interests are broader and more dispersed. Often, the party will simultaneously focus on numerous candidates, policy proposals, ballot initiatives, get-out-the-vote activities, advertising efforts, and the like—not simply the campaign of one candidate. If the donor’s contributions to a political party are “subsequently rerouted to a particular candidate, such action occurs at the initial recipient’s discretion”—namely, the political party’s, “not the donor’s.” Id., at 211. “As a consequence, the chain of attribution grows longer, and any credit must be shared among the various actors along the way.” Ibid. Amicus and intervenors respond that the political-party…

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