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The Role of Money in U.S. Elections: Campaign Finance Reform Overview

This chapter explores the significant role of money in American political campaigns, detailing the evolution of campaign finance from the late 1960s. Key factors such as the decline of party organizations, the rise of television influence, and the emergence of campaign consultants are discussed. The analysis includes statistics on campaign costs, the sources of campaign contributions, and the implications of money in politics. It also examines regulatory frameworks established to control campaign financing, including landmark legislation like the Federal Election Campaign Act and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.

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The Role of Money in U.S. Elections: Campaign Finance Reform Overview

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  1. Prentice HallPoliticalScienceInteractive Thomas R. Dye Politics in America Special Topic Chapter 8 Campaign Finance Reform

  2. The Role of Money in Elections Four reasons money became critical in elections by the late 1960s • Decline of party organizations • More voters up for grabs • Television • Campaign consultants

  3. How Much Does it Cost to Get Elected? The Growing Costs of Campaigns

  4. How Much Does it Cost to Get Elected? Average Campaign Expenditure of Candidates for the House of Representatives, 1988-2004 General Election (In Thousands of 2004 Dollars)

  5. Presidential Primary Cumulative Receipts, 2003-2004 (millions of dollars)

  6. Party Finances

  7. Raising Campaign Cash • Public money • Small donations • Large individual donors • Candidate self-financing

  8. What Do Contributors “Buy”? • Rarely is money given with an explicit quid pro quo • Contributions can, however, increase the chances of the contributor gaining • Access to policy makers • Government assistance

  9. All Time Big-Money Contributors

  10. Contributors to the Republican and Democratic Parties by Sector

  11. Characteristics of Individual Political Contributors

  12. Regulating Campaign Finance • Limits on Contributions • Reporting • Federal funding of Presidential elections • Campaign finance reform Celebrity entertainers are a major source of campaign funding for Democratic Candidates

  13. Regulating Campaign Finance • Serious campaign finance reform began in the 1970s with the Federal Election Campaign Act (1971) • Buckley v. Valeo challenged the constitutionality of campaign finance limits • Now, politicians must get small amounts of money from many sources, with an exception for “soft” money

  14. Regulating Campaign Finance The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act was passed and signed into law by President George W. Bush in February, 2002 Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., and Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.)

  15. Effects of the 2002 Campaign Finance Reforms

  16. Congressional Campaign Committee Soft Money Spending, 1994-2002

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