Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

False Hopes: The United States Senate And Campaign Finance Reform 1980-1990, James Heimbach

Honors Theses

The cost of winning a seat in the United States Senate has risen dramatically over the last ten years. It has become the norm rather than the exception to spend over $1 million on a campaign. For example, in the 34 Senate races in the 1988 election, 32 campaigns spent over $1 million. Due to the necessity to raise more and more money, candidates have had to turn to alternative sources of campaign funds. Thus, the rise in campaign costs has been accompanied by a rise in the role of the political action committee (PAC). PACs are special interest groups …