Major political parties have several different national party committees: the central party committee (i.e., the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee), the House campaign committee (i.e., the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee), and the Senate campaign committee (i.e., the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee). The financial activities of these committees are regulated in a number of ways by federal law.

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Like federal candidates, the national party committees can raise only hard money, but subject to different limits. National party committees are permitted to receive contributions of up to $26,700 per year (for the years 2005 and 2006) from any individual or non-multicandidate PAC and up to $15,000 per year from a multicandidate PAC (click here for extended discussion on political committees). They cannot raise any funds from corporations, labor unions or other restricted sources, although individuals affiliated with these entities can donate through the entities' connected PACs.

National party committees may make contributions directly to federal candidates of up to $5,000 per election, with the exception of Senate candidates, to whom they may contribute a total of $37,300 per candidate per election cycle (for 2005-2006 cycle). In addition, national party committees can make coordinated expenditures on behalf of their candidates. In House races, these coordinated expenditures by national party committees can reach a total of $38,300 per candidate for 2005. In Senate races, the amount depends on the population of the state, but ranges from a total of about $60,000 in the smallest states to well over $1 million in the largest states. In the presidential general election race, the Democratic and Republican National Committees can each spend about $16 million in coordination with their respective presidential nominees.

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In addition to contributions and coordinated expenditures, the national party committees can also make an unlimited amount of independent expenditures on behalf of their House and Senate candidates. Like individuals, however, the party committees cannot coordinate any aspect of the timing, content, placement or use of these expenditures with their candidates. Whether they may do so on behalf of their publicly-funded presidential candidates is an unsettled legal question.

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Like federal candidates, national parties and their officers and agents cannot solicit, receive or spend any non-federal funds.

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