WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is proposing new limits on campaign contributions to restrict the activities of so-called 527 groups.
The 527s raised and spent more than $400 million in the 2004 U.S. elections.
The proposed limits, including a $25,000 cap on donations, add on to those championed by McCain and Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Russ Feingold in their 2002 campaign financing law. That law did not, however, restrict the 527s from collecting large sums of money from individual contributors.
The backers of the new restrictions said they were determined to stop such spending before the 2006 Congressional elections begin, the New York Times reports. Without the new limits, supporters predicted, the 527 groups will have a corrosive effect on the system by becoming a permanent channel for unlimited contributions.
The groups affected, however, were quick to criticize the effort.
"It's putting all these restrictions on your free-speech right to talk about issues and elected officials," said Ellen Malcolm, president of the liberal America Coming Together and the founder of the abortion rights group Emily's List.
