Final answer:
PACs are limited to contributing a maximum of $5,000 to a candidate per primary election under federal campaign finance laws to ensure fairness and a level playing field in elections.
Step-by-step explanation:
Under federal law, PACs can contribute no more than $5,000 per candidate in a primary election. This limit applies to PACs that contribute to more than one candidate and is enforced to establish a more equal playing field for all candidates. Campaign finance laws stipulate that these contributions are per candidate, per election, which means a PAC could contribute the set limit in both the primary and general elections.
The campaign finance landscape includes various players like individuals, political action committees (PACs), and super PACs. While individuals and PACs have caps on the amounts they can donate to a single candidate, super PACs operate under different rules, allowing them to raise and spend unlimited funds, as long as they do not coordinate directly with the candidates' campaigns. However, this question specifically refers to the contribution limits of PACs in primary elections.