Justice Marshall
delivered the opinion of the Court.
In this case, we confront the question whether § 101(a)(2) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA), 73 Stat. 522, 29 U. S. C. § 411(a)(2), precludes the membership of a union from adopting a rule that prohibits candidates for union office from accepting campaign contributions from nonmembers. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that such a rule violated § 101(a)(2). 207 U. S. App. D. C. 189, 645 F. 2d 1114 (1981). We granted certiorari, 454 U. S. 962 (1981), and now reverse.
I
A
Petitioner United Steelworkers of America (USWA), a labor organization with 1,300,000 members, conducts elections for union president and other top union officers every four years. The elections for these officers are decided by referendum vote of the membership. In the 1977 election, which was hotly contested, two candidates ran for president: respondent Edward Sadlowski, Jr., the Director of USWA’s largest district, and Lloyd McBride, another District Director.1 Both Sadlowski and McBride headed a slate of candidates for the other top union positions.
McBride was endorsed by the incumbent union leadership, and received substantial financial support from union officers and staff. Sadlowski, on the other hand, received much of his financial support from sources outside the union. During the campaign, the question whether candidates should accept [105]*105contributions from persons who were not members of the union was vigorously debated. The McBride slate contended that outsider participation in USWA elections was dangerous for the union. App. 27, n. 2, 298. See also id., at 129, 398; see generally id., at 40-48. McBride ultimately defeated Sadlowski by a fairly wide margin — 57% to 43%. The other candidates on the McBride slate won by similar margins.
After the elections, union members continued to debate the question whether outsider participation in union campaigns was desirable. This debate was finally resolved in 1978, when USWA held its biennial Convention. The Convention, which consists of approximately 5,000 delegates elected by members of USWA’s local unions, is USWA’s highest governing body. At the 1978 Convention, several local unions submitted resolutions recommending amendment of the USWA Constitution to include an “outsider rule” prohibiting campaign contributions by nonmembers. The union’s International Executive Board also recommended a ban on nonmember contributions. Acting on the basis of these recommendations, the Convention’s Constitution Committee proposed to the Convention that it adopt an outsider rule. After a debate on the floor of the Convention, the delegates, by a margin of roughly 10 to 1, voted to include such a rule in the Constitution. Id., at 35-36, 81-105.
The outsider rule, Article V, §27, of the USWA Constitution (1978), provides in pertinent part: [106]*106Section 27 confers authority upon the International Executive Board to adopt regulations necessary to implement the provision. It also creates a Campaign Contribution Administrative Committee, consisting of three “distinguished, impartial” nonmembers to administer and enforce the provision. The Committee may order a candidate to cease and desist from conduct that breaches §27, and may declare a candidate disqualified. Its decisions are final and binding.
[105]*105“Sec. 27. No candidate (including a prospective candidate) for any position set forth in Article IV, Section 1, and supporter of a candidate may solicit or accept financial support, or any other direct or indirect support of any kind (except an individual’s own volunteered personal time) from any non-member.”2
[106]*106B
In October 1979, Sadlowski and several other individuals3 filed suit against USWA in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. They claimed, inter alia, that the outsider rule violated the “right to sue” provision of Title I of the LMRDA, § 101(a)(4), 73 Stat. 522, 29 U. S. C. § 411(a)(4), because it would prohibit a candidate from accepting nonmember contributions to finance campaign-related litigation. Both sides moved for summary judgment. The District Court found that the rule violated § 101(a)(4). 507 F. Supp. 623, 625 (1981). The District Court further decided to invalidate the rule in toto, because the portion of the rule that “limits meaningful access to the courts . . . cannot be separated or isolated from the rule in its entirety.” Ibid.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed. 207 U. S. App. D. C. 189, 645 [107]*107F. 2d 1114 (1981). The court agreed that Article V, § 27, violated the right-to-sue provision. However, it chose not to decide whether this violation alone justified an injunction restraining enforcement of the entire rule. It accepted respondents’ argument, first raised on appeal, that the outsider rule also violated the § 101(a)(2) “freedom of speech and assembly” provision, and that this violation justified the injunction. The Court of Appeals reasoned that the statutory goal of union democracy could be achieved only if “effective challenges can be made to the often-entrenched union leadership.” 207 U. S. App. D. C., at 197, 645 F. 2d, at 1122. But effective challenges are possible only if insurgent candidates can solicit contributions from outsiders. “Even without contribution limitations, challengers to the union leadership face substantial barriers, especially the electoral power of the union staff.” Id., at 196, 645 F. 2d, at 1121. The court rejected the union’s argument that even if the rule interfered with rights protected by the statute, it was protected by the proviso to § 101(a)(2), which gives a union authority to adopt “reasonable” rules regarding the responsibilities of its members. Id., at 198, 645 F. 2d, at 1123.
To buttress its analysis, the Court of Appeals relied heavily on its understanding of First Amendment jurisprudence. It stated that § 101(a)(2) places “essentially the same limits on labor unions with respect to outside campaign contributions that the First Amendment would if it applied to labor unions.” Id., at 195, 645 F. 2d, at 1120. Citing Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U. S. 1, 19 (1976) (per curiam), the Court of Appeals suggested that contribution rules that prevent candidates for political office from amassing the resources necessary for effective advocacy are unconstitutional. By analogy, since the outsider rule would interfere with effective advocacy in union campaigns, it must violate § 101(a)(2). 207 U. S. App. D. C., at 197, 645 F. 2d, at 1122.
[108]*108HH HH
Section 101(a)(2) is contained in Title I of the LMRDA, the “Bill of Rights of Members of Labor Organizations.” See 29 U. S. C. §§411-415. It provides:
“Freedom of Speech and Assembly. — Every member of any labor organization shall have the right to meet and assemble freely with other members; and to express any views, arguments, or opinions; and to express at meetings of the labor organization his views, upon candidates in an election of the labor organization or upon any business properly before the meeting, subject to the organization’s established and reasonable rules pertaining to the conduct of meetings: Provided, That nothing herein shall be construed to impair the right of a labor organization to adopt and enforce reasonable rules as to the responsibility of every member toward the organization as an institution and to his refraining from conduct that would interfere with its performance of its legal or contractual obligations.” 78 Stat. 522.
We must decide whether this statute is violated by a union rule that prohibits candidates for union office from accepting campaign contributions from individuals who are not members of the union.
At the outset, we address respondents’ contention that this case can be resolved simply by reference to First Amendment law. Respondents claim that § 101(a)(2) confers upon union members rights equivalent to the rights established by the First Amendment. They further argue that in the context of a political election, a rule that placed substantial restrictions on a candidate’s freedom to receive campaign contributions would violate the First Amendmént. Thus, a rule that substantially restricts contributions in union campaigns must violate § 101(a)(2). We are not persuaded by this argu[109]*109ment. In light of the legislative history, we do not believe that § 101(a)(2) should be read as incorporating the entire body of First Amendment law, so that the scope of protections afforded by the statute coincides with the protections afforded by the Constitution.
The legislation that ultimately evolved into Title I of the LMRDA was introduced on the floor of the Senate by Senator McClellan. The Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare had reported out a bill containing provisions that were the forerunners of Titles II through VI of the LMRDA. These provisions focused on specific aspects of union affairs: they established disclosure requirements and rules governing union trusteeships and elections. See S. 1555, 86th Cong., 1st Sess. (1959), 1 NLRB, Legislative History of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, pp. 338-396 (1959) (Leg. Hist.); see also Finnegan v. Leu, 456 U. S. 431, 435-436 (1982). Senator McClellan and other legislators feared that the bill did not go far enough because it did not provide general protection to union members who spoke out against the union leadership. Senator McClellan therefore proposed an amendment that he described as a “Bill of Rights” for union members. This amendment, which contained the forerunner of § 101(a)(2), as well as the forerunners of other Title I provisions, was designed to guarantee every union member equal voting rights, rights of free speech and assembly, and a right to sue. 105 Cong. Rec. 6469-6493 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1096-1119.
Senator McClellan hoped that the amendment would “bring to the conduct of union affairs and to union members the reality of some of the freedoms from oppression that we enjoy as citizens by virtue of the Constitution of the United States.” 105 Cong. Rec. 6472 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1098. He further stated: “[T]he rights which I desire to have spelled out in the bill are not now defined in the bill. Such rights are basic. They ought to be basic to every person, and they are, [110]*110under the Constitution of the United States.” 105 Cong. Rec. 6478 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1104-1105. Senator McClellan explained the freedom of assembly provision, in particular, as follows:
“That [provision] gives union members the right to assemble in groups, if they like, and to visit their neighbors and to discuss union affairs, and to say what they think, or perhaps discuss what should be done to straighten out union affairs, or perhaps discuss the promotion of a union movement, or perhaps a policy in which they believe. They would be able to do all of that without being punished for doing it, as is actually happening today.” 105 Cong. Rec. 6477 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1104.
Other Senators made similar statements. See 105 Cong. Rec. 6483 (1959) (Sen. Curtis); id,., at 6488 (Sen. Goldwater); id., at 6489 (Sen. Mundt); id., at 6490 (Sen. Dirksen); id., at 6726 (Sen. Javits); 2 Leg. Hist. 1109, 1115, 1116, 1238.
The McClellan amendment was adopted by a vote of 47-46. 105 Cong. Rec. 6492 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1119. Shortly thereafter, Senator Kuchel offered a substitute for the McClellan amendment. This substitute added the proviso that now appears in § 101(a)(2), which preserves the union’s right to adopt reasonable rules governing the responsibilities of its members. It was designed to remove “the extremes raised by the [McClellan] amendment,” 105 Cong. Rec. 6722 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1234 (Sen. Cooper), and to assure that the amendment would not “unduly harass and obstruct legitimate unionism.” 105 Cong. Rec. 6721 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1233 (Sen. Church). The Kuchel amendment was approved by a vote of 77-14. See 105 Cong. Rec. 6717-6727 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1229-1239. The legislation was then taken up in the House of Representatives. The House bill, which contained a “Bill of Rights” identical to that adopted by the Senate, was quickly approved. H. R. 8400, 86th Cong., 1st Sess. (1959), 1 Leg. Hist. 628-633.
[111]*111This history reveals that Congress modeled Title I after the Bill of Rights, and that the legislators intended §101 (a)(2) to restate a principal First Amendment value — the right to speak one’s mind without fear of reprisal. However, there is absolutely no indication that Congress intended the scope of § 101(a)(2) to be identical to the scope of the First Amendment. Rather, Congress’ decision to include a proviso covering “reasonable” rules refutes that proposition. First Amendment freedoms may not be infringed absent a compelling governmental interest. Even then, any government regulation must be carefully tailored, so that rights are not needlessly impaired. Brown v. Hartlage, 456 U. S. 45, 53-54 (1982). Union rules, by contrast, are valid under § 101(a)(2) so long as they are reasonable; they need not pass the stringent tests applied in the First Amendment context.
B
To determine whether a union rule is valid under the statute, we first consider whether the rule interferes with an interest protected by the first part of § 101(a)(2). If it does, we then determine whether the rule is “reasonable” and thus sheltered by the proviso to § 101(a)(2). In conducting these inquiries, we find guidance in the policies that underlie the LMRDA in general and Title I in particular. First Amendment principles may be helpful, although they are not controlling. We must look to the objectives Congress sought to achieve, and avoid “ ‘placing great emphasis upon close construction of the words.’” Wirtz v. Glass Bottle Blowers, 389 U. S. 463, 468, and n. 6 (1968) (quoting Cox, Internal Affairs of Labor Unions Under the Labor Reform Act of 1959, 58 Mich. L. Rev. 819, 852 (1960)); Hall v. Cole, 412 U. S. 1, 11, and n. 17 (1973).4 The critical question is whether a rule [112]*112that partially interferes with a protected interest is nevertheless reasonably related to the protection of the organization as an institution.
Appyling this form of analysis here, we conclude that the outsider rule is valid. Although it may limit somewhat the ability of insurgent union members to wage an effective campaign, an interest deserving some protection under the statute, it is rationally related to the union’s legitimate interest in reducing outsider interference with union affairs.
(1)
An examination of the policies underlying the LMRDA indicates that the outsider rule may have some impact on interests that Congress intended to protect under § 101(a)(2). Congress adopted the freedom of speech and assembly provision in order to promote union democracy. See supra, at 109-111; see also S. Rep. No. 187, 86th Cong., 1st Sess., 2 (1959), 1 Leg. Hist. 398; H. R. Rep. No. 741, 86th Cong., 1st Sess., 2 (1959), 1 Leg. Hist. 760. It recognized that democracy would be assured only if union members are free to discuss union policies and criticize the leadership without fear of reprisal. Congress also recognized that this freedom is particularly critical, and deserves vigorous protection, in the context of election campaigns. For it is in elections that members can wield their power, and directly express their approval or disapproval of the union leadership. See S. Rep. No. 187, supra, at 2-5, 7, 1 Leg. Hist. 398-401, 403; H. R. [113]*113Rep. No. 741, supra, at 1-7, 15-16, 1 Leg. Hist. 759-765, 773-774.5
The interest in fostering vigorous debate during election campaigns may be affected by the outsider rule. If candidates are not permitted to accept contributions from persons outside the union, their ability to criticize union policies and to mount effective challenges to union leadership may be weakened. Restrictions that limit access to funds may reduce the number of issues discussed, the attention that is devoted to each issue, and the size of the audience reached. Cf. Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U. S., at 65-66 (per curiam) (First Amendment freedom of expression and association may be “diluted if it does not include the right to pool money through contributions, for funds are often essential if ‘advocacy’ is to be truly or optimally ‘effective’”).6
Although the outsider rule does affect rights protected by the statute, as a practical matter the impact may not be substantial. Respondents, as well as the Court of Appeals, suggest that incumbents have a large advantage because they can rely on their union staff during election campaigns. Challengers cannot counter this power simply by seeking funds from union members; the rank and file cannot provide [114]*114sufficient support. Thus, they must be permitted to seek funds from outsiders. In fact, however, the rank and file probably can provide support. The USWA is a very large union whose members earn sufficient income to make campaign contributions. See App. 118-120. Requiring candidates to rely solely on contributions from members will not unduly limit their ability to raise campaign funds. Uncon-tradicted record evidence7 discloses that challengers have been able to defeat incumbents or administration-backed candidates, despite the absence of financial support from nonmembers. See id,., at 25, 118 — 119.8
In addition, although there are undoubtedly advantages to incumbency, see Hall v. Cole, 412 U. S., at 13, respondents and the Court of Appeals may overstate those advantages. Staff employees are forbidden by § 401(g) of the LMRDA, 29 U. S. C. § 481(g), and by internal USWA rules to campaign on union time or to use union funds, facilities, or equipment for campaign purposes. App. 110-117; see 29 CFR §452.76 (1981). Staff officers have a contractual right to choose whether or not to participate in any USWA campaign with[115]*115out being subjected to discipline or reprisal for their decision. See App. 107-110, 115-117, 228, 384-385. Indeed, USWA elections have frequently involved challenges to incumbents by members of the staff. Many of these challenges have been successful. Id., at 108, 201-216.
The impact of the outsider rule on rights protected under § 101(a)(2) is limited in another important respect. The union has stated that the rule would not prohibit union members who are not involved in a campaign from using outside funds to address particular issues. That is, members could solicit funds from outsiders in order to focus the attention of the rank and file on a specific problem. The fact that union members remain free to seek funds for this purpose will serve as a counter to the power of entrenched leadership, and ensures that debate on issues that are important to the membership will never be stifled.
(2)
Although the outsider rule may implicate rights protected by § 101(a)(2), it serves a legitimate purpose that is clearly protected under the statute. The union adopted the rule because it wanted to ensure that nonmembers do not unduly influence union affairs. USWA feared that officers who received campaign contributions from nonmembers might be beholden to those individuals and might allow their decisions to be influenced by considerations other than the best interests of the union. The union wanted to ensure that the union leadership remained responsive to the membership. See App. 210; see also id., at 61-62, 81-97, 275, 303, 304.9 An [116]*116examination of the policies underlying the LMRDA reveals that this is a legitimate purpose that Congress meant to protect.
Evidence that Congress regarded the desire to minimize outsider influence as a legitimate purpose is provided by the history to Title I. On the Senate floor, Senator McClellan argued that a bill of rights for union members was necessary because some unions had been “invaded” or “infiltrated” by outsiders who had no interest in the members but rather had seized control for their own purposes. 105 Cong. Rec. 6469-6474 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1097-1100. He stated that the strongest support for the bill of rights provisions “should come from traditional union leaders. It will protect them from the assaults of those who would capture their unions.” 105 Cong. Rec. 6472 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1098. And he stated:
“[Infiltration could be ended] by placing the ultimate power in the hands of the members, where it rightfully belongs, so that they may be ruled by their free consent, [and] may bring about a regeneration of union leadership. I believe the unions should be returned to those whom they were designed to serve; they should not be left to the hands of those who act as masters. The union must be returned to their members, to whom they rightfully belong.” 105 Cong. Rec. 6472 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1099.
It is true that Senator McClellan was particularly concerned about infiltration of unions by racketeers: he described situations in which “thugs and hoodlums” had taken over unions so that they could exploit the members for pecuniary gain. 105 Cong. Rec. 6471 (1959), 2 Leg. Hist. 1097. However, his statements also indicate a more general desire to ensure that union members, and not outsiders, control the affairs of their union.
[117]*117Additional evidence that Congress regarded the union’s desire to maintain control over its own affairs as legitimate is provided by the history of other sections of the LMRDA. In drafting Titles II through VI, Congress was guided by the general principle that unions should be left free to “operate their own affairs, as far as possible.” S. Rep. No. 1684, 85th Cong., 2d Sess., 4-5 (1958). It believed that only essential standards should be imposed by legislation, and that in establishing those standards, great care should be taken not to undermine union self-government. Given certain minimum standards, “individual members are fully competent to regulate union affairs.” Ibid. Thus, for example, in Title IV, which regulates the conduct of union elections, Congress simply set forth certain minimum standards. So long as unions conform with these standards, they are free “to run their own elections.” Wirtz v. Glass Bottle Blowers, 389 U. S., at 471. Congress’ desire to permit unions to regulate their own affairs and to minimize governmental intervention suggests that it would have endorsed union efforts to reduce outsider influence.
Indeed, specific provisions contained in Title IV provide support for our conclusion that the outsider rule serves a legitimate and protected purpose. Section 401(g), 29 U. S. C. § 481(g), prohibits the use of employer as well as union funds in election campaigns. This ban reflects a desire to minimize the danger that employers will influence the outcome of union elections. A union rule that seeks to reduce the influence of outsiders other than employers is clearly consistent with that goal. See also §403 of Title IV of the LMRDA, 29 U. S. C. §483 (authorizing unions to establish their own election rales).10
[118]*118Respondents argue that even if the desire to reduce outside influence is a legitimate purpose, .the rule is not rationally related to that purpose. They contend, first, that the union could simply have established contribution ceilings, rather than placing an absolute ban on nonmember contributions. However, USWA feared not only that a few individual nonmembers would make large contributions, but also that outsiders would solicit many like-minded persons for small contributions which, when pooled, would have a substantial impact on the election. This fear appears to have been reasonable. In the 1977 election, Sadlowski received a significant percentage of his campaign funds from individuals who made contributions after receiving mail solicitations signed by prominent nonmembers. App. 128-129, 350-353.
Respondents also contend that even if the union was justified in limiting contributions by true outsiders, it need not have limited contributions by relatives and friends. Again, however, the USWA had a reasonable basis for its decision to impose a broad ban. An exception for family members and friends might have created a loophole that would have made the rule unenforceable: true outsiders could simply funnel their contributions through relatives and friends. See id., at 32. Cf. Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U. S., at 53, n. 59 (Congress could constitutionally subject family members to the same limitations as nonfamily members).
Finally, respondents contend that USWA could simply have required that candidates for union office reveal the sources of their funds. But a disclosure rule, by itself, would not have solved the problem. Candidates who received such funds might still be beholden to outsiders. A disclosure requirement ensures only that union members know about this [119]*119possibility when they cast their votes. It does not eradicate the threat of outside influence.11
1 — 4 t — 4
As an alternative basis for sustaining the result below, respondents ask this Court to hold that the outsider rule impermissibly encroaches upon a union member’s right, guaranteed by § 101(a)(4) of the LMRDA, to institute legal proceedings, and that the appropriate remedy for this violation is an injunction striking down the rule in toto. However, unlike the District Court and the Court of Appeals, we do not believe that the union’s rule violates the right-to-sue provision.
Section 101(a)(4) provides that a union may not “limit the right of any member thereof to institute an action in any court, or in a proceeding before any administrative agency.” 29 U. S. C. § 411(a)(4). The outsider rule would clearly violate this provision if it prohibited union members from accepting financial or other support from nonmembers for the purpose of conducting campaign-related litigation. In our view, however, the outsider rule simply does not apply where a member uses funds from outsiders to finance litigation.
The language of the rule contains no reference to litigation. In addition, the debates leading up to the passage of the rule do not contain any indication that the union intended the rule to apply in this context. But what is most persuasive, the Campaign Contribution Administrative Committee12 — which [120]*120was given authority to make final and binding interpretations of the outsider rule — has issued an opinion concerning the impact of the outsider rule on the right to sue. In this opinion, it holds that “the limitations imposed by Section 27 do not apply to the financing of lawsuits by non-members for the purpose of asserting the legal rights of candidates or other union members in connection with elections.”13 App. 455; see also id., at 456-458.14
The Court of Appeals expressed concern about a regulation contained in the USWA’s Elections Manual which provides that although the outsider rule “does not prohibit the candidate’s use of financial support or services from non-members to pay fees for legal or accounting services performed in . . . securing . . . legal rights of candidates,” it does prohibit “[ajctivities which are designed to extract political gain from legal proceedings.” Id., at 495. According to the Court of Appeals, the reference to “activities” might include steps in [121]*121the legal proceedings themselves, and might prohibit outside assistance to finance a lawsuit even if it was brought in good faith, if it was designed to extract political gain. 207 U. S. App. D. C., at 194, 645 F. 2d, at 1119. USWA has explained, however, that this language is intended to cover only nonlitigation activities that in some way refer to litigation, such as mailing a flyer announcing a legal victory, or some information learned during discovery.15 See id., at 193-194, 645 F. 2d, at 1118-1119.16
IV
We hold that USWA’s rule prohibiting candidates for union office from accepting campaign contributions from nonmembers does not violate § 101(a)(2). Although it may interfere with rights Congress intended to protect, it is rationally related to a legitimate and protected purpose, and thus is sheltered by the proviso to § 101(a)(2). We reverse the decision below and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
It is so ordered.