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01-10-2020 | Symposium: The 2020 U.S Elections

The Origin and Evolution of Super PACs: a Darwinian Examination of a Campaign Finance Species

Author: Diana Dwyre

Published in: Society | Issue 5/2020

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Abstract

A series of campaign finance rulings, most notably the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, set off a sea change in how electoral politics are funded in the United States. The result is an evolutionary break that disrupted the campaign finance environment in ways that allowed a new species of organization, the super PAC, to thrive. Other traditional campaign finance organizations, such as political parties and political action committees, have not adapted as well and now play a reduced role relative to the new “super species.”

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Title: The Origin and Evolution of Super PACs: a Darwinian Examination of a Campaign Finance Species
Author: Diana Dwyre
Publication date: 01-10-2020
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Society / Issue 5/2020
Print ISSN: 0147-2011
Electronic ISSN: 1936-4725
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-020-00523-1

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