Will the Republican Party take a position on campaign finance at the GOP convention?

Published on July 8, 2008
by Michael Schrimpf

File Under: Political Committees & 527s, Political Parties

On Monday, the Washington Post highlighted the alleged looming battle between conservative party activists and John McCain over the Republican Party's convention platform.

"Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of Sen. John McCain in advance of September's Republican National Convention, hoping to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research and campaign finance from becoming enshrined in the party's official declaration of principles," the Post reported.

The rest of the article examines the potential of party infighting over contentious issues like immigration, global warming, and stem cell research, while noting common agreement over the "war against terror" and the war in Iraq.

Left unexamined is the tension between McCain and conservative activists over one of the Senator's signature issues - campaign finance regulation. But, if the RNC's 2007 winter meeting is any indication, the battle over the Party's position on campaign finance regulation could be explosive.

At the 2007 Winter meeting the RNC passed a resolution declaring:

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Members of the Republican National Committee urge the Congress to adopt common sense reforms of the BCRA by allowing political parties to engage in generic voter registration, voter identification and get-out-the-vote activities with lawfully raised state funds and by allowing political parties increased freedom to coordinate their activities with their candidates; and


FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, that the Members of the Republican National Committee urge the Congress to oppose additional restrictions on the political activities of citizens and citizen groups, such as on churches and other 501(c)(3) charities, 501(c)(4) lobby groups and 527 issue advocacy organizations; and


FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, that the Members of the Republican National Committee urge all Americans to fully participate in our democracy and elections to the fullest extent permitted by law.