By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services/Arizona Daily Star
Saying they are protecting the First Amendment rights of donors, the Republican-controlled state Senate voted Tuesday to remove all restrictions on how much any individual or political action committee can spend to influence elections.
The measure, which passed on a party-line vote, includes limits on how much donors can give to any one candidate. But some of the new limits are more than eight times the amount now allowed.
HB 2593 also eliminates other laws that cap how much candidates can accept from all sources.
The measure, which already has been approved by the House, now goes to the governor, who, like all the senators who voted for it, is a Republican.
Tuesday’s 17-13 vote came over the objections of Democrats who said the change will simply make candidates more beholden to the special interests that get them elected.
