Newswise — AMES, Iowa – The Supreme Court’s ruling on overall campaign contributions will benefit rich donors who want to give until it hurts to political campaigns, said Steffen Schmidt, University Professor of political science at Iowa State University.

The justices ruled 5-4 that limits on the total amount of money donors can give to all candidates, committees and political parties are unconstitutional. Donors are still limited on how much they can give to an individual candidate or party committee, but they can now give to as many campaigns as they wish.

“Most Americans will not be very supportive of this form of ‘freedom of speech,’” Schmidt said.

“The decision gives the richest Americans even greater influence in federal elections because they can fund as much as their checkbooks can stand,” he added. “This is obviously a final blow to efforts that have been made in much of the past history of political giving in the United States and takes us back to the days when the Mellons and Rockefellers and other magnates could dominate politics with their fortunes.”

To schedule an interview contact Steffen Schmidt at 515-294-3825 or [email protected]. You can also contact Angie Hunt, 515-294-8986 or [email protected], in the Iowa State University News Service office for help arranging an interview.