permitted under state law. 52 U.S.C. § 30125(e)(2). As noted above, in McConnell the Supreme Court upheld this broad limitation against various constitutional challenges, finding it necessary to prevent circumvention of the statute’s prohibition on the use of soft money by federal candidates and officials to influence federal elections. 3. 52 U.S.C. § 30114: Prohibition on Conversion of Campaign Funds Section 30114 regulates the use of funds contributed to federal candidates and officeholders and reflects Congress’s clear intent to bar completely the conversion of campaign funds for personal purposes. The statute is composed of two provisions and applies to all contributions to a federal candidate: • Section 30114(a) sets forth the permissible uses of contributed funds, including use for “otherwise authorized expenditures in connection with a campaign for Federal office” and for “ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in connection with duties of the individual as a holder of Federal office.” • Section 30114(b) contains the statutory prohibition: A contribution to a federal candidate may not be “converted by any person to personal use.” 52 U.S.C. § 30114(b)(1). The provision further provides that a contribution shall be considered to be converted to personal use if it is used to fulfill any “commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate’s election campaign.” 52 U.S.C. § 30114(b)(2). • Finally, Section 30114(b)(2) lists nine specific examples of prohibited personal uses of campaign funds, such as mortgage payments, clothing expenses, vacations, and non-campaign-related car expenses. 148