McCain Calls for New Limits on Money to Political Groups

Mr. McCain and others sponsoring the legislation say they are determined to stop such spending before the 2006 Congressional elections get under way. While the bill contains numerous regulations, some quite complex, its overriding goal is to stop donations like the $24 million that the financier George Soros contributed last year to defeat President Bush.
Without such regulations, supporters of the new bill argue, the groups will have a corrosive effect on the system by becoming a permanent channel for unlimited contributions.
"It could make a mockery of campaign finance reform," Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican, said in an interview. "I think it would be incredibly damaging."
The legislation is part of a series of measures that the proponents say will protect the integrity of the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, which got its first test in last year's races. There is also a federal court case brought by lawmakers that seeks to regulate 527 groups.
Though the bill's prospects are uncertain, it has drawn early backing in unusual places.