Candidates know that it takes quite a bit of money to run for office and they are constantly looking for ways to get it. Candidates can get money for a campaign from many sources. Wealthy individuals, corporations, unions, political action committees, and party committees all frequently contribute to the campaigns of those candidates that they would like to see in office. If a candidate favors issues that coincide with the feelings and beliefs of any particular special interest group, that group w

Individuals Yes, $1000 per election to candidates Yes-limited (unlimited soft money) Yes Yes

Our country has realized that we can’t just let someone spend their way into political office and that we need to have campaign finance reform. In 1883 the Pendleton Act was the first significant attempt to reduce the influence of money on politics. It said that “Federal workers are under no obligation to contribute to any political fund, or to render any political service, and that he will not be removed or otherwise prejudiced against for refusing to do so.” However, this act just increased the candidates need to rely upon corporate money. Corporations showed that they were happy to help out candidates. In 1896 a wealthy industrialist, by the name of Marcus Alonzo Hanna, contributed about $4 million for William McKinley. In today’s figures that would be equivalent to about $82 million dollars. The money helped propel McKinley to the White House. To prevent this from happening again congress passed the Tillman Act, in 1907, which banned national banks and corporations from contributing to Federal campaigns. Three years later congress passed the Publicity Act. The act required house candidates to disclose all the information on their campaign spending and contributions. However, candidates didn’t have to say how much they received and spent until after the election. The Act was later amended so that it also applied to candidates for the senate. These days’s people argue that some of the legislation has become useless due to the increase in “soft money.” Soft money is money that is loosely regulated and supposedly intended for party building rather than specific candidates. Sen. Russell Feingold argued that the Tillman Act has become useless because of soft money. It allows contributors to work around th

Some topics in this essay:
Finance Reform, Clean Money, Yes Unfortunately, Publicity Act, Pendleton Act, Commission FEC, Tillman Act, Bob Dole’s, Election Day”, Clean Elections, soft money, clean money, campaign finance reform, clean elections, unlimited soft, money yes, party committees, yes yes, campaign finance, finance reform, soft money yes, unlimited soft money, clean elections clean, playing field, try level playing,