STATE OF MONTANA POLITICAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS SUMMARY (Updated September 23, 2019)
This guide is just a summary - for complete requirements, see 13-35-227, MCA and 13-37, MCA, and 44.11.226 and 227, ARM.
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CANDIDATES
To Own Campaign: No Limit
INDIVIDUAL Human Being
To a Political Party Committee: No Limit
To a Political Action Committee: No Limit
To a Ballot Issue Committee: No Limit
To a candidate for Governor/Lt. Governor: $710 per election
To a candidate for Other Statewide Office*: $360 per election
To a candidate for Other Public Office**: $180 per election
POLITICAL COMMITTEES
To a Political Party Committee: No Limit
To a Political Action Committee: No Limit
To a Ballot Issue Committee: No Limit
INDEPENDENT POLITICAL COMMITTEES (PACs)
To a candidate for Governor/Lt. Governor: $710 per election
To a candidate for Other Statewide Office*: $360 per election
To a candidate for Other Public Office**: $180 per election
AGGREGATE PAC LIMITS FOR LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES
To a candidate for State Senate: $3,050
To a candidate for State House: $1,850
POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES (Aggregate limits from ALL political party committees)
Please Note: Political Party Committees may not contribute to candidates for judicial offices (i.e. Supreme Court Justice, District Judge, Justice of the Peace). A political party committee may endorse a candidate for judicial office and make independent expenditure relating to such an election. See Sanders County Republican Party v. Bullock, 698 F3d 741 (9th Cir, 2012). See also personnel services exception ARM 44.11.225 (3).
To a candidate for Governor/Lt. Governor: $25,600 per election
To a candidate for Other Statewide Office*: $9,250 per election
To a candidate for Public Service Commission: $3,700 per election
To a candidate for State Senate: $1,500 per election
To all other elected offices: $900 per election
CORPORATIONS OR UNIONS
May NOT contribute directly or indirectly to a candidate, § MCA 13-35-227.
* Other Statewide Office
Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Supreme Court Justice, Clerk of the Supreme Court
** Other Public Office
State District (Public Service Commissioner, State Senate, State House of Representatives, District Judge)
County (All County Elected Officials)
City (All City Elected Officials)
School (All School Districts)
Trustees
Per election - MCA 13-37-216(5) “… election means the general election or primary election that involves two or more candidates for the same nomination. If there is not a contested primary, there is only one election to which the contribution limits apply. If there is a contested primary, then there are two elections to which the contribution limits apply.”