Campaign finance wars are over and the winner turned defeat into victory

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As Senator Mitch McConnell approaches the finish line on his record-setting tenure as Senate Republican leader, histories of his outsized impact on American policy and politics are already being written. One can’t overstate his accomplishments on issues ranging from the judiciary to the tax code to foreign policy, and commentators will rightly focus on those successes.

But another, smaller part of Minority Leader McConnell’s legacy also warrants special attention. From the time he was a junior senator, he has been the single greatest champion for free speech in political campaigns in America. And while McConnell may have lost a few fights during his tenure, I believe he ultimately won the campaign finance wars.

McConnell’s views on campaign finance were forged by his first runs for elected office. As he wrote in his memoir, "I never would have been able to win my race if there had been a limit on the amount of money I could raise and spend." He understands that the Constitution’s framers saw political speech — especially speech about elections and candidates for office — as the core of the First Amendment, and he has put that belief into action when it came to legislation to restrict political campaigning.

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To understand McConnell’s