Montana votes to ban corporate political money. Next stop? Probably the Supreme Court
Image: CNBC
Imagine a corporation wants to spend $10 million to defeat a political candidate. Under the Supreme Court's landmark 2010 Citizens United ruling, it can spend as much as it wants provided it doesn't coordinate with the candidate's campaign.
In a state President Donald Trump won by nearly 20 points in 2024, roughly 65% of Montanans voted to approve Initiative 194 – the "Montana Plan" – embracing a novel legal strategy to curb corporate political spending. If states cannot restrict political speech under Citizens United, can they instead strip corporations of the power to spend money on elections?
The vote follows a record $11.87 billion in political advertising nationwide this election cycle that was split about evenly between the two parties, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.
This page shows only an excerpt. The full story is published by CNBC.
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