AUGUSTA — The Maine Ethics Commission has lifted the $25,000 aggregate cap for individuals donating to political campaigns, based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Under the old cap, individuals were limited to $25,000 in total donations to candidates running for office in any calendar year. The Maine Ethics Commission decided last week to eliminate that cap for the time being, said Jonathan Wayne, the commission’s executive director, on Wednesday.

The change means individuals can donate as much as they want across a range of candidates, though limits on how much each campaign can receive from an individual remain in place. Those limits vary depending on the office sought, but in the case of gubernatorial campaigns, the limit is $1,500 for a primary election and an additional $1,500 for a general election.

According to a posting on the Ethics Commission’s website, the commission made the decision in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. The decision invalidated aggregate limits in federal law that imposed maximum amounts that a donor could give to federal candidates or non-candidate committees in a two-year election cycle.

“The commission has determined that it will not enforce the $25,000 aggregate limit … during 2014 unless and until it receives further guidance from the Maine Legislature or a court of competent jurisdiction,” according to the Ethics Commission’s statement.

The commission will continue to enforce collection limits from individuals to campaigns as well as “intermediary” donations, which are when a donor gives money to a third party who in turn donates it to a campaign. Those donations, under the law, are considered to have come from the original donor.

There are no limits on how much an individual can donate to a political action committee or a political party.

Wayne said Wednesday that to his knowledge, no individual in Maine has ever reached the $25,000 aggregate limit to candidates.

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