Roll Call: Hybrid Ads Allow Parties and Campaigns to Save Money, But at What Cost?
Public financing is no longer in vogue, but the purpose of splitting the costs remains the same, said Paul Ryan, deputy executive director at the Campaign Legal Center, who has argued against the practice to the FEC.
Campaigns have smaller contribution limits than parties, so "offloading costs onto the party," Ryan said, allows the campaigns to tap into greater sources of money.
The FEC solicited comments from the parties and groups like the Campaign Legal Center on the hybrid ad technique in 2007, but never issued any rules on the practice.