Coordination
Definition
When a candidate or party works with an outside spender, like a super PAC, on the payment, content, or conduct of a political communication. If proven, coordinated spending counts as an in-kind contribution subject to normal limits, unlike a truly independent expenditure.
Why it matters
Coordination rules are the only legal barrier stopping candidates from directing unlimited super PAC money as if it were their own campaign account. The FEC's three-prong test is vague, and FEC enforcement is deadlocked enough along partisan lines, that campaigns and aligned super PACs can share staff, strategy, and messaging with little practical risk.
Seen in the wild
In 2024, the Campaign Legal Center filed FEC complaints alleging Ron DeSantis's presidential campaign illegally coordinated with the super PAC Never Back Down on ad strategy,1 and the DNC alleged the super PAC American Values 2024 made an illegal $15 million in-kind contribution coordinating RFK Jr.'s ballot access campaign.2 Neither complaint produced FEC enforcement action as of the 2024 cycle's close.