Campaign Finance and Corruption

This paper explores the intersection of campaign finance and corruption in the United States. The historical record on campaign finance laws prove that corruption has been a concern when it comes to how elections are funded. Yet, laws which regard corruption within campaign financing have primarily focused on individuals and issues such as bribery and quid pro quo. This focus misses a key issue, which is corruption at the institutional level. Understanding how corruption in campaign finance works at the institutional level provides us a much clearer picture of the depth of this problem. This paper will trace the concerns courts have had with the matter of corruption as it pertains to campaign finance and will examine traditional conceptualizations of corruption in campaign finance. In addition, this paper will analyze how contemporary considerations of corruption, which stress a focus on institutional corruption, and provide a better lens for understanding corruption in campaign finance. Specifically, this paper will focus on public interest, the culture of impunity, and corruption of class power and influence to explain how corruption intersects with campaign finance in the United States.