Story perspectives

Hawaii Bans Corporate Election Spending, Sparks Montana Effort

5/15/2026

Summary

Story summary

Hawaii’s Democratic governor signed a law redefining corporations to prohibit election spending, effective July 1 2027.
The Center for American Progress crafted the bill’s legal strategy.
Attorney General Anne Lopez, a Democrat, opposed the law, warning of costly court defenses.
OpenSecrets recorded over $4 billion in outside political spending in the 2024 federal elections.
A Montana volunteer group is collecting signatures for a similar corporate-spending ban on the November ballot.

History

Historical Context

The 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC (5-4, majority opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy) removed limits on corporate political ads, spurring the growth of super-PACs. By 2026 Hawaii and Montana introduced legislation to curb that influence, with Hawaii proposing a statewide corporate-spending ban that could force the FEC to rewrite its rules.

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Story summary

Hawaii’s Democratic governor signed a law redefining corporations to prohibit election spending, effective July 1 2027.
The Center for American Progress crafted the bill’s legal strategy.
Attorney General Anne Lopez, a Democrat, opposed the law, warning of costly court defenses.
OpenSecrets recorded over $4 billion in outside political spending in the 2024 federal elections.
A Montana volunteer group is collecting signatures for a similar corporate-spending ban on the November ballot.

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