Wisconsin Club For Growth Leader Calls For Higher Campaign Contribution Limits

The head of a conservative group that was targeted in a now-closed John Doe investigation said Thursday that the best way to diminish the power of groups like his is to increase what people can give to candidates.

Speaking on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Central Time,” Wisconsin Club for Growth Director Eric O’Keefe said issue advocacy groups have become more important in the U.S. because contribution limits for candidates are too low. Under federal law, an individual can give a maximum of $2,700 to a candidate for president. Under state law, someone can give $10,000 to a candidate for governor. O’Keefe called those limits remnants of the 1970s.

“So, if people want to diminish the influence of issue groups, one of the best ways to do it is to raise the limits on what people can give in disclosed contributions to candidates,” he said.

Even if that were to happen, groups like the Wisconsin Club for Growth would still have the advantage of keeping their donors’ names secret. O’Keefe favors that anonymity, saying he doesn’t want to expose his donors to political retribution.