A type of public financing (partial), matching funds essentially matches private funds within a limit of around $250 (for presidential primary candidates) with public funds from the government. In New Jersey, Governor Christie used this financing program for his 2009 campaign, but opted out of it for the most recent election. In the case of New Jersey, every $3,400 raised by private donors will be matched with $6,800 of funds or the 2:1 ratio [1]. These matching funds occur after the first $109,000 is raised in order to make sure the candidate is viable [1]. If a candidate agrees to take the public funds they will be limited to a spending limit of $10.9 million and max amount of matching funds contributed by the state of $7.3 million in the 2009 gubernatorial election [1]. In the clip below Governor Cuomo talks about the major roadblocks to public financing now that Super PACs (independent expenditure committees) can spend unlimited amounts of money.
[1] “Campaign Finance Reform: An Overview.” Campaign Finance: An Overview. National Conference of State Legislatures, 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/campaign-finance-an-overview.aspx>.
Campaign Finance Reform 