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New Year Brings New Campaign Finance Rules

NC General Assembly

Changes detailed in the state's new voting law now allow bigger donations for candidates. 

Political office seekers were able to start padding their campaign war chests once the calendar changed to 2014.  Candidates for any office can now accept up to $5,000 from a single contributor.  Before the new year, the contribution limit for most donors was $4,000.  Judicial candidates could only accept $1,000 per supporter. 

Lawmakers who backed the move said that the higher cost of running for office necessitated the change.  Opponents have highlighted two provisions of the new law they most disagree with.  They say the law halts disclosure of an organization's largest donors in print ads.  The opposition also dislikes the repeal of North Carolina's groundbreaking "Stand By Your Ad" provision requiring candidates to state in political spots that they "approve this message". 

The law also directs the State Board of Elections to revisit contribution limits every two years to see if the amounts should be raised.

Gurnal Scott joined North Carolina Public Radio in March 2012 after several stops in radio and television. After graduating from the College of Charleston in his South Carolina hometown, he began his career in radio there. He started as a sports reporter at News/Talk Radio WTMA and won five Sportscaster of the Year awards. In 1997, Gurnal moved on to television as general assignment reporter and weekend anchor for WCSC-TV in Charleston. He anchored the market's top-rated weekend newscasts until leaving Charleston for Memphis, TN in 2002. Gurnal worked at WPTY-TV for two years before returning to his roots in radio. He joined the staff of Memphis' NewsRadio 600 WREC in 2004 eventually rising to News Director. In 2006, Raleigh news radio station WPTF came calling and he became the station's chief correspondent. Gurnal’s reporting has been honored by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, the North Carolina Associated Press, and the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas.
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