Coordination in campaign finance is the legal standard that converts ostensibly independent spending into a regulated contribution. If a super PAC, donor, or outside group consults with a campaign on strategy, shares vendors, or acts on the campaign's request, the spending is treated as coordinated and subject to standard contribution limits.
FEC regulations apply a three-prong test — payment, content, and conduct — to determine coordination. A republished campaign ad, a strategy meeting, or shared political consultants can each trigger the rule. When coordination is found, the spender is liable for an in-kind contribution that almost always exceeds individual or PAC limits.
In enforcement, coordination is hard to prove and easier to evade. Common consultants, signaled strategy through public statements, and redboxing — campaigns posting B-roll and messaging guidance on public pages for super PACs to mirror — let aligned groups behave as functional extensions of campaigns without crossing the FEC's narrow definition.
Coordination rules are the only legal wall between unlimited outside spending and direct campaign contributions. When the wall is thin, the contribution limits Congress wrote into law stop mattering.
People often think coordination means any communication between a campaign and a donor. In practice, it requires a specific exchange about strategy, content, or spending — which sophisticated operations route through public signals and shared vendors to stay legal.
Coordination rules are the only legal wall between unlimited outside spending and direct campaign contributions. When the wall is thin, the contribution limits Congress wrote into law stop mattering.
People often think coordination means any communication between a campaign and a donor. In practice, it requires a specific exchange about strategy, content, or spending — which sophisticated operations route through public signals and shared vendors to stay legal.