Backed by the law firm of Democratic Party superlawyer Marc Elias, House Democrat Mikie Sherrill is looking to poke a new hole in campaign finance law that could give her more influence over the outside spending groups supporting her run for governor of New Jersey. The request is opposed by the nonpartisan watchdog Campaign Legal Center, while the Koch-funded Institute for Free Speech, which opposes limits on campaign donations, is backing the Democrat’s petition.
In a January advisory opinion request filed with the Federal Election Commission, Sherrill’s lawyers ask if her campaign and leadership PAC can legally transfer up to $5 million to independent groups—like super PACs—that can pour unlimited cash into her 2025 New Jersey governor’s race.
Sherrill proposes five donation levels— from $100,000 to $5 million—and asks the FEC to rule on whether these donations would “finance” a recipient group if they constitute up to 50% of their overall funding, something that would be illegal under the 2002 McCain-Feingold law’s ban on candidates financing or controlling “soft money” groups. She’s also seeking clarity on if the timing of such donations matters and if her campaign and PAC funds should be combined in the calculations. “Requestor hopes these organizations would use the funds to assist her gubernatorial campaign,” the filing states, though laws block her from coordinating with super PACs or telling them how to spend their money.
