The Baltimore Sun examines the use of candidate slate committees in Maryland.

Mr. James Smith is the charter member of the Baltimore County Victory Slate, an entity under Maryland campaign finance law designed to allow like-minded candidates to pool their resources. Its chief feature is that slate members aren’t bound by the $6,000 limit on transfers from one candidate to another. They can transfer unlimited amounts of money, giving the dominant player in any slate – in this case Mr. Smith – tremendous power, even if he isn’t on the ballot. He can keep his account open for eight years after he leaves office, giving him the potential to sway elections until 2018.