February 11, 2008
Posted: 05:00 PM ET
McCain will turn down federal matching funds.
McCain will turn down federal matching funds.

(CNN) – John McCain will turn down government matching funds for his primary campaign, a move that frees the Arizona senator and campaign finance reform advocate from spending caps.

In a letter to the Federal Elections Commission Monday, the presumptive Republican nominee wrote he will "make no requests for matching payments, and will not accept matching-fund payments, including the initial amounts and other amounts certified by the Federal Election Commission in connection with previous submissions."

McCain had asked to participate in the system, in a last ditch effort to keep his cash-poor campaign alive. In December, the FEC said he was eligible for $5.8 million. But had he accepted that money, McCain would have only been allowed to spend about $54 million total on his primary campaign, according to the Associated Press.

McCain is still eligible to accept federal matching funds for his general election campaign.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Filed under: John McCain


Dorothy Wright, anaheim, CA   February 12th, 2008 4:28 pm ET

Good for him!

Independant   February 12th, 2008 11:14 am ET

Oops !!!! Sounds like he plans to spend whatever it takes and thereby "keeping his pockets wide open".

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