STATE OF MONTANA POLITICAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS SUMMARY
Updated December 8, 2017
This guide is just a summary - for complete requirements, see Title 13, Chapters 35 and 37, MCA.

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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: $680 per election
  To a candidate for Other Statewide Office*: $340 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: $680 per election
  To a candidate for Other Statewide Office*: $340 per election
  To a candidate for Other Public Office**: $180 per election

Aggregate PAC limits for Legislative candidates:
  To a candidate for State Senate: $2,850
  To a candidate for State House: $1,750

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 expenditures 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: $24,500 per election 
  To a candidate for Other Statewide Office*: $8,850 per election 
  To a candidate for Public Service Commission: $3,550 per election 
  To a candidate for State Senate: $1,450 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.”