How much can one contribute to a candidate?

Question

I thought that the limit was $2,300 per quarter. Is it more than that? How long does one quarter last and how long does one have to wait to contribute the maximum amount possible for the following quarter?

Answer 1

You did not mention the office.

In most mayoral races, the amount is unlimited.  Large cities will often impose limits.

States have their own limits for particular offices.  Some can have limits based upon the population of the political entity.

For federal elections, there are limits.  

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/...

You can also contribute five thousand per election to a Political Action Committee.  

Incidentally, you can pay off a primary campaign debt up to the limit ($1,000 per campaign, $25,000 to all campaigns total).   This counts as a contribution to one of the person's campaigns.  Then give another contribution to the current campaign.

You may wish to make a personal loan to a candidates supporters or the candidate himself.