Summary Campaign Contribution Limits: Overview

This page is a part of NCSL’s comprehensive campaign finance portfolio. For related resources, visit the Campaign Finance Resources Overview webpage.  

As of Feb. 1, 2023, more than $1.6 billion was raised and reported for state House/Assembly and Senate races in 2021 and 2022. The median amount raised in aggregate across the states for House/Assembly races was $8.7 million and for Senate races was $6.3 million. Funding comes from a variety of sources including political parties, corporations, unions, political action committees and individuals.  

As a measure to reduce the potential for corruptive influence on elections and campaigns, many states impose contribution limits on candidates, dictating how much any one entity can give a campaign. 

This page provides an overview of the types of restrictions states place on contribution limits and gives examples of certain statutory restrictions. For information on other types of campaign finance restrictions, please visit our pages on disclosure and public financing of elections. 

Individual Contribution Limits

Eleven states—Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia—impose no contribution limits on individual donors. Alaska’s contribution limits for individuals were challenged in court and are now currently unlimited, but this could change as many bills have been proposed to reestablish a contribution limit. The other 38 states restrict the amount of money any one individual can contribute to a state campaign. These limits typically depend upon the office the candidate seeks. For example, Connecticut restricts individual spending to $1,000 for a candidate in a state senate race and $250 for a candidate for a state house seat. 

Using data for the 2023-2024 election cycle, this chart shows the wide range of contribution limits across states*: 

*These numbers are up to date as of Feb. 1, 2023. Some states adjust their contribution limits based on inflation and will not make those adjustments until mid-2023. 

Following the Supreme Court’s decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, 134 S.Ct. 1434 (2014), limits on the total, or aggregate, amount of money an individual can contribute during an election cycle violate the First Amendment and are therefore unconstitutional. McCutcheon dealt with federal election spending, but the ruling affects states as well. Before the ruling, nine states imposed aggregate contribution limits on the overall amount individuals and groups could contribute to candidates.  

 While limitations on the amount of money an individual can contribute to a specific campaign can remain in place, states more than likely will not be able to impose an aggregate limit on campaign contributions from individuals. 

State Party Contribution Limits

Nineteen states impose no restrictions on the ability of state party committees to contribute money to a candidate’s campaign. Four states—Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey and New York—allow state parties to donate unlimited sums if the candidate meets certain qualifications, such as running uncontested or agreeing to certain spending limits. The remaining 27 states fall into two camps regarding some sort of restriction on funds from political parties. Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico and West Virginia require parties to follow the same contribution limits established for individuals. The other 19 states outline separate limits for political parties. 

Corporation Contribution Limits

Twenty-three states completely prohibit corporations from contributing to political campaigns. Another five—Alabama, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah and Virginia—allow corporations to contribute an unlimited amount of money to state campaigns. Of the remaining 22 states, 18 impose the same restrictions on corporation contributions as they do for individual contributions. The other four set different limits. 

Political Action Committee Contribution Limits

PACs, or political action committees, are organizations that pool campaign contributions from their members to support or oppose candidates, ballot initiatives or legislation. Often formed in support of a specific candidate or ballot measure, PACs represent one way a corporation can contribute to a candidate’s campaign without violating restrictions on corporate influence in elections. If a corporation desired to form a PAC, pooling contributions from its employees or outside sources into a distinct bank account, the PAC can spend money to influence elections in a way the corporation cannot. Seven states allow PACs to contribute unlimited amounts of money to state campaigns. 

The remaining 43 states either impose the same limitations as those for individuals or provide a separate contribution limit. After the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), PACs can spend unlimited amounts of money on broadcasts and communications related to an election, provided they act independently of any one candidate. Follow this link to learn more about campaign finance and the Supreme Court. 

To see current and pending legislation dealing with campaign finance, please visit NCSL’s Campaign Finance Legislation Database, which hosts bills dealing with contribution limits as well as other policies. 

For a complete list of contribution limits from individuals, please see NCSL’s webpage on State Limits on Contributions to Candidates. 

If you don't find the information you need, please contact our elections team at 303-364-7700. NCSL staff can do specialized research for legislators and legislative staff.