Commentary

A recent research paper looking at election expenditure data from 2010 to 2014 finds that the effect on election outcomes of campaign expenditures is five times as much as that of independent expenditures. This has implications for independent expenditure groups’ current and future strategies to mitigate the disproportionately large influence of outside groups on electoral politics.

A May FEC decision allowing federal candidates to spend campaign funds on childcare could make running for office significantly more accessible for parents. But its impact will be limited — so candidates and lawmakers are proposing reforms at the state and local levels.

Campaign finance reforms at the state and local level could move the needle and position these offices as accessible stepping stones with far-reaching impact

As midterm elections draw near, media reports on record high campaign spending by new and old political players underscore an emerging trend identified by Mooney as the rise of the Superrich Neophyte Candidate (SNC). In an examination of Illinois’s current (and very expensive) gubernatorial race, Mooney argues that high-spending gubernatorial candidates who have some government experience are more likely to succeed in office than those with none at all.