Sec. 3.

(1) “Candidate” means an individual: (a) who files a fee, affidavit of incumbency, or nominating petition for an elective office; (b) whose nomination as a candidate for elective office by a political party caucus or convention is certified to the appropriate filing official; (c) who receives a contribution, makes an expenditure, or gives consent for another person to receive a contribution or make an expenditure with a view to bringing about the individual's nomination or election to an elective office, whether or not the specific elective office for which the individual will seek nomination or election is known at the time the contribution is received or the expenditure is made; or (d) who is an officeholder who is the subject of a recall vote. Unless the officeholder is constitutionally or legally barred from seeking reelection or fails to file for reelection to that office by the applicable filing deadline, an elected officeholder shall be considered to be a candidate for reelection to that same office for the purposes of this act only.

For purposes of sections 61 to 71, “candidate” only means, in a primary election, a candidate for the office of governor and, in a general election, a candidate for the office of governor or lieutenant governor. However, the candidates for the office of governor and lieutenant governor of the same political party in a general election shall be considered as 1 candidate.

(2) “Candidate committee” means the committee designated in a candidate's filed statement of organization as that individual's candidate committee. A candidate committee shall be under the control and direction of the candidate named in the same statement of organization. Notwithstanding subsection (4), an individual shall form a candidate committee pursuant to section 21 when the individual becomes a candidate under subsection (1).

(3) “Closing date” means the date through which a campaign statement is required to be complete.

(4) “Committee” means a person who receives contributions or makes expenditures for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the action of the voters for or against the nomination or election of a candidate, or the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question, if contributions received total $500.00 or more in a calendar year or expenditures made total $500.00 or more in a calendar year. An individual, other than a candidate, does not constitute a committee. A person, other than a committee registered under this act, making an expenditure to a ballot question committee shall for that reason not be considered a committee for the purposes of this act unless the person solicits or receives contributions for the purpose of making an expenditure to that ballot question committee.