Campaign Finance

For most of the twentieth century campaign finance has been dominated by political parties. This was mainly due to their control over the campaigns themselves. The parties managed every aspect of the campaign, much of it without the need for cash. Instead, the campaigning relied on services volunteered or bartered for some party-controlled favor. However, when the party needed cash it was raised, and more often than not, the cash came from the candidates. The …

…enthusiasms, even those of single issues, and hence, began to financially contribute to these narrowly focused groups. Congress and the FECA came to realize the new dominance by PACs and interest groups in replace of the political parties as the “campaign-funding arms.” After Buckley v. Valeo, the legislation on campaign financing was weakened. So, as if to strengthen what remained after Buckley v. Valeo, Congress passed new limits on individual, interest group, and PAC contributions.