The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission is expected to set contribution and spending limits for next year’s gubernatorial election on Tuesday.
These numbers are a big deal since the state has a gubernatorial public financing program that matches most contributions at a $2 for every $1 rate.
Every four years, ELEC calculates a New Jersey Campaign Cost Index (NJCCI) that blends the Consumer Price Index (CPI) with inflation in the cost of political campaigns. They’ll consider increases in television ad rates since 2021, and look at past spending patterns.
In 2020, the commission approved an increase in maximum campaign contributions from $4,300 in 2017 to $4,900 in 2021, a 14% increase. That was based on a NJCCI of 1.128 and then rounded up.
In the last governor’s race, the threshold to qualify for matching funds went from $430,000 to $490,000. The unmatched deductible went from $138,000 to $156,000.
For candidates accepting matching funds, the spending cap for the gubernatorial primary increased from $6.4 million in 2017 to $7.3 million in 2021; the maximum matching funds went from $4 million in 2017 to $4.6 million four years later.
For the general election, candidates could receive $9.3 million in matching funds in 2017 and $10.5 million in 2021. The spending cap increased from $13.8 million in 2017 to $15.6 million in 2021.
Also included in the NJCCI are adjusted reporting thresholds for political committees, and contribution limits from individuals, corporations, associations, candidate committees, political committees, and national political parties.
The four commissioners typically approve the staff recommendations. The NJCCI will not be made public until next week’s meeting.
ELEC calculated that between 2009 and 2017, mass communications dropped from 80% of a campaign budget to 70%, that network television ad costs jumped 26.4%, and that online ads increased by 11.8%. In total, ELEC said media costs went up 14.7%.
The commission will also set amounts of penalties and fines for the first time since the Election Transparency Act went into effect last year.
The system has been in place since 1989 when the Legislature authorized ELEC to make quadrennial adjustments. New Jersey was the first state to establish a campaign cost index.