Amy Loprest, executive director of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, issued the following statement on the recent lawsuit, brought by the New York Progress and Protection PAC, seeking to undermine the state's aggregate limit on how much an individual can give to independent political groups.
"The Campaign Finance Board is deeply concerned by the last-minute legal effort to undermine New York State's aggregate limits on contributions.
This fall, New York City is conducting its first citywide elections since the Citizens United decision. In the weeks leading up to the primary elections, outside groups spent an unprecedented $13 million to flood our homes and airwaves with mailers and advertising. Still, the city's public matching funds program performed its role exceptionally well even in the face of this onslaught. In the primaries, matching funds helped candidates and small-dollar donors alike make their voices heard.
What we saw in the primaries may only be the beginning. This lawsuit aims to change the rules of the game with less than six weeks left before the general election. If it is successful, we can expect a renewed tidal wave of corrosive, big-money special-interest spending by outside groups between now and November.
Going forward, it is crucial that a strong matching funds program continue to ensure that voters, not money, decide elections."