Game Changers: How Dark Money and Super PACs Are Transforming U.S. Campaigns by Henrik M.Schatzinger and Steven E.Martin. Lanham, MD, Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. 252 pp. $58.00.

2021 ◽  
Vol 136 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-581
Author(s):  
Zhao Li
Keyword(s):  
Super Pacs

Interest Groups and Elections

2019 ◽  
pp. 339-357
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Berry
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Interest Groups ◽  
Campaign Finance ◽  
Organizational Forms ◽  
Super Pacs ◽  
New Organizational Forms ◽  
Winner Take All ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Take All

The relationships between interest groups, political parties, and elections have always been dynamic, but in recent years change has accelerated in ways that have favored some interests over others. This chapter considers these developments as the result of a variety of factors, the most critical of which are the growth of polarization, a new legal landscape for campaign finance, and new organizational forms. The chapter goes on to suggest, that as bipartisanship has ebbed, elections have become winner-take-all affairs and interest groups are pushed to choose sides. The chapter further suggests that the rise of super PACs is especially notable as wealthy individuals have become increasingly important, single sources of campaign money, supplanting in part traditional interest groups, especially conventional PACs. It concludes that even as sums spent by super PACs and other interest groups have skyrocketed, the impact of their direct spending on persuading voters remains uncertain.

Campaign Finance

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Mutch
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Campaign Finance ◽  
Court Decisions ◽  
Federal Election ◽  
Federal Election Commission ◽  
Super Pacs ◽  
The One ◽  
Election Commission

The one percent has been providing an ever larger share of campaign funds since the 1980s. Well over half of the money contributed to the presidential race in 2015 came from only about 350 families. One-fourth of it came from just seventy-eight donors, all of whom made contributions of $1 million or more. Can we still say we live in a democracy if a few hundred rich families provide such disproportionate shares of campaign funds? Congress and the courts are divided on that question, with conservatives saying yes and liberals saying no. The debate is about the most fundamental of political questions: how we define democracy, and how we want our democracy to work. The debate may ultimately be about political theory, but in practice it is conducted in terms of laws, regulations, and court decisions about PACs, super PACs, 527s, 501(c)(4)s, dark money, the Federal Election Commission, and even the IRS. This book explains how those laws, regulations, and court decisions fit into the larger debate about how we want our democracy to work.

scholarly journals Purchasing negativity: public opinion on "Super PAC" advertisements during the 2012 American presidential election

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Mass Communication ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Political Advertising ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Super Pacs ◽  
Super Pac

This major research paper is a qualitative study of American “Super PAC” advertising during the 2012 American presidential election. Super PACs, a type of “political action committee,” have the ability to collect unlimited funds to advertise on behalf of candidates and parties. Super PACs have attracted criticism from scholars due to the Super PACs’ negativity against opposing candidates. Using Albert Bandura‘s Social Cognitive Theory of Mass Communication, and existing literature on political advertising, this study explores public opinion on negative television commercials. It employs data collected by The Super PAC App – a mobile application that recorded individual reactions to political advertising. It also employs qualitative content analysis on 20 negative Super PAC advertisements using codes created by political scientist John Geer. The results suggest that users of the App generally disliked negative Super PAC advertisements. Furthermore, the results indicate there are certain characteristics within negative advertisements that make them more liked or disliked by users of the App.

Political Campaigning by Super PACs in the Computer Age

2020 ◽  
pp. 64-79
Author(s):  
Robert John Klotz
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Campaigns ◽  
Video Communication ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Senate Elections ◽  
Political Campaigning ◽  
Super Pacs ◽  
Different Sources

Video communication during political campaigns is undertaken on television and on the internet. The landscape of videos on television is familiar to all – a sprawling field of brief ads. The differences between television and the Internet mean that different sources of video communication might be favored depending on the medium. In this chapter, the sources of the most popular videos in contemporary political campaigns on the internet will be examined. Specifically, the study examines the sources of the most visible campaign videos on YouTube during the 2018 Senate elections in the United States. Special attention is paid to the relative prominence of Super PACs as a source of campaign videos.

The News Media and the Rise of Negativity in Presidential Campaigns

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (03) ◽  
pp. 422-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Geer
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
High Water ◽  
Presidential Campaigns ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Presidential Nomination ◽  
High Water Mark ◽  
Super Pacs ◽  
Negative Ads ◽  
Modern Era

Negative ads have become increasingly common in presidential campaigns. Figure 1 well illustrates this point (see also West 2009). The upcoming 2012 elections will almost surely augment this upward trend of more and more negativity. In fact, with the emergence of Super Pacs, the share of attack ads in 2012 will likely be significantly higher than in 2008, which in and of itself was the high-water mark for attack ads in the modern era. The harsh tone of the battle for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination certainly points toward an exceptionally nasty fall campaign.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document