- MENU
- HOME
- SEARCH
- WORLD
- MAIN
- AFRICA
- ASIA
- BALKANS
- EUROPE
- LATIN AMERICA
- MIDDLE EAST
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Benelux
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- USA
- BUSINESS
- WEALTH
- STOCKS
- TECH
- HEALTH
- LIFESTYLE
- ENTERTAINMENT
- SPORTS
- RSS
- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Alex Kingsbury
Both Political Parties hustle to fill war chests as cash has proved a historical edge
Even before the sour economy forced many households to cut back on superfluous expenses, only a tiny fraction of Americans gave money to political candidates. But the impact on the political process of those who do give is, simply put, enormous. It's part of a trend that looks to continue and even exacerbate the outsize influence of the relative few wealthy enough to contribute regular large sums to those seeking office in the November elections.
All told, from donors large and small, for expenses ranging from television ads to paper clips, the 2010 elections will cost an estimated
The election is still several months away, of course, and the vote could yet end either in landslide or photo finish. Still, the so-called money race has often been a strong indicator of which candidate will eventually triumph at the ballot box. Individual donations will be key, but so too will funding from political action committees and other outside sources. One potentially key though as-yet-unknown variable will be the recent
Both parties face challenges. For Republicans, the main task is how to capitalize on the unpopularity of the party in power while at the same time unifying their own fractured base of voters and donors. The sluggish economy and the prospect of increased taxes, coupled with their objections to President Obama's healthcare legislation, are obvious points of emphasis in their pleas to donors. But though recent polling shows voters unhappy with Democrats, just as many say they are unhappy with the
Part of the problem has been conservative supporters dividing both their time and money between traditional Republican candidates and those backed by the more conservative
The Democrats, for their part, are looking to hold the line at the polls and have one big advantage, incumbency. Incumbents are becoming harder and harder to oust from office, election statistics show, a fact of which big campaign donors, often looking to back a winner, are all too aware. Over the past four decades, the average re-election rate for a sitting congressional representative has been north of 94 percent. Sitting senators also enjoy a large advantage over challengers, though by less substantial average margins than in the House, according to statistics compiled by the
The advantage that a sitting politician brings to an electoral contest stems from many things. Gerrymandering that can concentrate voters of like mind within the district boundaries is one. Others include name recognition and the ability, for Democrats this year, to call in a sitting president to appear at campaign events and fundraisers. Obama was unsuccessful in frenzied late efforts to help Democrat Martha Coakley defeat Republican challenger Scott Brown, who secured Ted Kennedy's former
All of this contributes to an enormous advantage for incumbents of both parties in the money race. In 2010, that trend is all but certain to play an important role. In House races, incumbents have already outraised challengers by more than 4 to 1. Senators enjoy a more than 8 to 1 fundraising advantage over their challengers.
The midterm elections will also be the first since the
A windfall or a wash? Corporate cash could favor Republicans, the traditional ally of big business and generally lower taxes. On the other hand, it could favor Democrats because they are the majority party and thus statistically more likely to hold their elected offices and, with them, control of the congressional committees overseeing so much legislation and regulation that corporate donors hope to influence. Or, in the end, the expected influx of corporate cash could be a wash, not significantly influencing the election one way or the other.
And yet, despite all the hand-wringing over corporate contributions and the impact of the
As in past elections, individual donations will be central to electoral contests. Thus far in the 2010 cycle, individual donations make up the majority of the candidates' war chests. The average Democratic candidate running for
In the
Available at Amazon.com:
The Virtues of Mendacity: On Lying in Politics
Bush on the Home Front: Domestic Policy Triumphs and Setbacks
The Political Fix: Changing the Game of American Democracy, from the Grassroots to the White House
AMERICAN POLITICS
WORLD | AFRICA | ASIA | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA | MIDDLE EAST | UNITED STATES | ECONOMICS | EDUCATION | ENVIRONMENT | FOREIGN POLICY | POLITICS
Money Could Decide 2010 Midterm Elections | Politics
© Tribune Media Services