Money in the 2014 Congressional Elections: Institutionalizing a Broken Regulatory System
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Raymond J. La Raja
Raymond J. La Raja is an Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, founding editor ofThe Forum , and associate director of the UMass Poll. He is editorof New Directions in American Politics (Routledge, 2013) and has a forthcoming co-authored book with Brian Schaffner,When Purists Prevail: How Campaign Finance Reform Polarizes American Legislatures (University of Michigan Press).
Abstract
The campaign finance system has fragmented campaign activity in response to rules that are unworkable in a strong party system. The 2014 congressional elections illustrate how party coalitions have adapted to practices that enable them to raise and spend money outside this formal regulatory framework. For several election cycles, partisan interest groups have used outside campaign organizations to circumvent rules that constrain candidate and party committees. The 2014 elections illustrate how party leaders in Congress and these candidates have now embraced the outside campaign strategy to wrest some control from other elements of the party. Recent changes to campaign finance rules may shift additional money toward traditional committees, but outside groups like Super PACs are now established features of US political campaigns.
About the author
Raymond J. La Raja is an Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, founding editor of The Forum, and associate director of the UMass Poll. He is editor of New Directions in American Politics (Routledge, 2013) and has a forthcoming co-authored book with Brian Schaffner, When Purists Prevail: How Campaign Finance Reform Polarizes American Legislatures (University of Michigan Press).
©2014 by De Gruyter
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- The 2014 Midterm in the Longest Run: The Puzzle of a Modern Era
- The Republican Wave of 2014: The Continuity of the 2012 and 2014 Elections
- Was it a Wave? What does it Mean?
- The 2014 House Elections: Political Analysis and The Enduring Importance of Demographics
- Constitutional Design and 2014 Senate Election Outcomes
- Political Advertising in 2014: The Year of the Outside Group
- Interest Group Issue Appeals: Evidence of Issue Convergence in Senate and Presidential Elections, 2008–2014
- Money in the 2014 Congressional Elections: Institutionalizing a Broken Regulatory System
- Preference Dynamics in the 2014 Congressional Midterm Elections
- Still Crazy after All These Years: The Polarized Politics of the Roberts Court Continue
- Book reviews
- Resilient America
- The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- The 2014 Midterm in the Longest Run: The Puzzle of a Modern Era
- The Republican Wave of 2014: The Continuity of the 2012 and 2014 Elections
- Was it a Wave? What does it Mean?
- The 2014 House Elections: Political Analysis and The Enduring Importance of Demographics
- Constitutional Design and 2014 Senate Election Outcomes
- Political Advertising in 2014: The Year of the Outside Group
- Interest Group Issue Appeals: Evidence of Issue Convergence in Senate and Presidential Elections, 2008–2014
- Money in the 2014 Congressional Elections: Institutionalizing a Broken Regulatory System
- Preference Dynamics in the 2014 Congressional Midterm Elections
- Still Crazy after All These Years: The Polarized Politics of the Roberts Court Continue
- Book reviews
- Resilient America
- The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan
