Money Rules: Financing Elections In America

The role of money in the U.S. electoral process has become more and more controversial in recent years. Following the Buckley ruling and other legislation in 1996, candidates and political parties are free to raise virtually unlimited "soft" money, making money perhaps the most significant factor in a campaign's success. InMoey Rules, Anthony Gierzynski theorizes that, under our current system of financing elections, our political process has tilted too far in favor of politicalfreedom, at the expense of politicalequality. Gierzynski examines the historical roots of the campaign finance dilemma, demonstrates its effects on the local, state, and national levels, and projects the long-term outcomes for American politics.

Anthony Gierzynski is associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont.