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Prentice Hall PoliticalScience Interactive. Thomas R. Dye Politics in America Special Topic Chapter 8 Campaign Finance Reform. 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
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Prentice HallPoliticalScienceInteractive Thomas R. Dye Politics in America Special Topic Chapter 8 Campaign Finance Reform
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
How Much Does it Cost to Get Elected? The Growing Costs of Campaigns
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)
Presidential Primary Cumulative Receipts, 2003-2004 (millions of dollars)
Raising Campaign Cash • Public money • Small donations • Large individual donors • Candidate self-financing
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
Contributors to the Republican and Democratic Parties by Sector
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
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
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.)
Congressional Campaign Committee Soft Money Spending, 1994-2002