Interest Groups in Electoral Politics: 2012 in Context

Abstract

The paper uses data from the Wesleyan Media Project and the Wisconsin Advertising Project to compare the levels of ad spending from outside groups and traditional party organizations across seven federal election cycles. The data show clearly that outside groups advertised at historic levels in 2012. Such intense efforts send two important signals to students of American campaign finance. First, the system of limited donations to candidates and party committees faces a crisis moving forward, its efficacy and purpose challenged by huge investments from outside interests. The second lesson refers to the long debate in political science about whether parties or candidates should be the center of our electoral process. The debate is old, but it now risks irrelevancy as a collection of well-funded outside groups has asserted its role as the primary pivot point in many competitive election campaigns. The paper concludes with a consideration of possible reforms that might help restore parties and candidates to the center of issue debates in competitive federal elections.