I wonder if this can be used against foreign campaign donations to State politicians .... It dilutes the states voter influence of which campaign donations are part of. So, if you can't vote for the politician you should not be allowed to contribute to their campaign. Once you repeal the 17th amendment, some states may still opt for statewide elections of the Senator.
Excellent note.
But I believe there are already laws on the books that would more precisely oppose campaign contributions from foreign origin. However, it would take a campaign to fund the legal battles to enforce the law.
States themselves are able to pass laws disclosing and restricting outside state contributions. It need not be confined to foreign origin.
It would be easy to see the word State as referring to the State Government, rather than its people.
But you James Madison argued the State referred to both its people and the State Government as a single unit as far as Washington was concerned.
If you wish to make that argument, and I would support such a case, you will have to make it in one of the states that did not ratify the 17th amendment.
Those States would be:
Utah (explicitly rejected)
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Virginia
Do we know anyone to carry our cause in any of theses States?