A 2002 BAN on unregulated donations to national political parties has curtailed spending on television advertising by state committees, a study released last week concluded.
An analysis by the Center for Public Integrity in Washington found that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, also known as the McCain-Feingold law, has reduced the amount of money national parties transfer to states for political activities.
State parties raised $725 million in the 2003-2004 election cycle, down from $821 million in the 2001-2002 cycle, the report said. The state parties get about 40 percent of their money as transfers from their national parents, according to the center.
Instead of buying television advertisements, state parties have "definitely reinvested money in get-out-the-vote efforts," said Agustin Armendariz, one of the authors of the study.
Maryland appears to be following the trend. State Democratic and Republican parties here took in $3.9 million during the 2003-2004 cycle, down from $8.6 million in 2001-2002, the report showed.
But the McCain-Feingold restrictions explain only a small part of the drop, political experts say. In Maryland, nonpresidential election years receive heightened attention because candidates for governor and all 188 members of the state General Assembly are on the ballot.
The Maryland statistics reveal another development: With Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s election, the state GOP has escalated its fund raising and has eclipsed Democrats.
The state Republican Party raised $2.6 million in the 2003-2004 season, up from $1.8 million in 2001-2002 and $390,00 in 1999-2000. Democratic contributions dropped from $6.7 million in 2001-2002 to $1.3 million in 2003-2004. They were $1.1 million in 1999-2000.
"We've got a Republican governor who is providing strong leadership for the state," said Audra Miller, a spokeswoman for the state GOP. "People want to support that."
One donor's behavior in particular illustrates the trend, said James Browning, executive director of Common Cause Maryland.
Through corporate entities, Montgomery County developer and racetrack owner Bill Rickman Jr. gave $51,000 to the Democratic Party and $10,000 to the GOP in 2001-2002. Two years later, he had given $20,000 to Democrats and $20,500 to Republicans.
Rickman is "a one-man bellwether" of the state's current political climate, with business interests seeking access to the party in power, Browning said.
