The Concept of Corruption in Campaign Finance Law

Citizens United undermined more than 100 years of campaign finance law when it gave corporations the First Amendment right to spend money in elections. Congress had said in 1907 that corporations did not have that right; that First Amendment rights were the rights...

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Campaign Finance Law

Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions ◽

10.4135/9781452240152.n74 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Donald A. Gross

Keyword(s):

Campaign Finance ◽

Finance Law ◽

Campaign Finance Law

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Improper Influence: Campaign Finance Law, Political Interest Groups, and the Problem of Equality. By Thomas Gais. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996. 336p. $39.50.

American Political Science Review ◽

10.2307/2952114 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 91 (3) ◽

pp. 740-741

Author(s):

Daniel M. Shea

Keyword(s):

Interest Groups ◽

Campaign Finance ◽

Political Interest ◽

University Of Michigan ◽

Finance Law ◽

Ann Arbor ◽

Campaign Finance Law

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From the FEC to the Ballot Box: Voter Accountability for Campaign Finance Law Violations

American Politics Research ◽

10.1177/1532673x18759641 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 1000-1035

Author(s):

Ben Gaskins ◽

Ellen Seljan ◽

Todd Lochner ◽

Katie Kowal ◽

Zane Dundon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Media Coverage ◽

Campaign Finance ◽

Political Candidates ◽

Federal Election Commission ◽

High Profile ◽

Finance Law ◽

The Media ◽

Campaign Finance Laws ◽

Campaign Finance Law ◽

Election Commission

Scholarship suggests the Federal Election Commission lacks adequate enforcement tools to deter those who would violate campaign finance laws. But can and do voters hold political candidates accountable for violating these laws? In this article, we employ two studies to empirically evaluate these questions. The first examines the extent to which media cover campaign finance violations, and how they do so. The second employs an experimental approach to test the effects of such media coverage on evaluations of political candidates, in particular whether knowledge of a candidate’s violation of campaign finance laws erodes voter support. We find that the media are more likely to cover campaign finance impropriety for high-profile offices, when criminal action is alleged, and for most serious violations. We also show that voters care about campaign violations, and certain violations lower voter support similar to other types of political scandal.

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