Although in more modern history it may seem like electoral votes are already set in stone, that is not always true. In fact, there are various factors that contribute to the overall outcome of both the nomination of a candidate, and subsequently, the presidential election. Furthermore, in a presidential campaign, candidates must maintain awareness about state primaries and caucuses (“Presidential Campaigns”). Both state primaries and caucuses are a means of choosing their presidential nominees, however the process of selection varies from state to state and within each party. These nominees will then go on to represent their party in the national convention (“Caucasus” p. 1). However, before anything else, to even be considered as a potential candidate a nominee must be aware of their own qualifications to run, such as their background in the political atmosphere. For example, stated in a web page sponsored by Bernie Sanders, Senator Bernie Sanders has been a United States Senator since 2007,but prior to that he served a total of 16 years in the House of Representatives and was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont for four terms. By the same token, before becoming an official candidate a nominee must first secure the candidacy by gaining the majority of delegate votes at the national convention. (“Caucasus” p.1). After securing their party 's nomination a presidential candidate must create a strategy for, gaining a majority of seats in the Electoral College based on three factors, current finance laws, relevant constitutional provisions, and finally, the socio-economic atmosphere of time time(“Presidential Campaigns” par. 2). While it may seem easy to run for president there are a number of factors that a candidate must take into account in order to succeed, and one of the most definitive is being well informed on current campaign finance laws. To clarify, on a web page sponsored by the Federal Election Commission the term campaign finance refers to the financing of electoral campaigns on the federal, state, and local levels(“The FEC’s Role”). In the case of a presidential election, the federal campaign laws created by Congress and executed by the Federal Election Commission are what a candidate should be watchful of. Generally, these laws discuss the sourcing/distributing, spending, and disclosure of campaign funds. For example, in the 2008 presidential election, Senator John McCain, received $84.1 million in public funds and received an additional $46.4 million in donations, while Senator Barack Obama raised a total of $745.7 million in funds(“2008 Presidential Campaign”). The source of the money used in federal campaigns, like the 2008 presidential election, is not singular, but rather as campaign finance laws dictate, available through many different sources such as, individual donors, national party committees, state, district, and local parties, authorized campaign committees, and multi/non-multi super PACS. In addition to the resources listed above, candidates who qualify for it can be given public financing for both the primary and the
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For instance, according to a web page sponsored by the Federal Election Commission, while a whole union is not allowed to donate any money directly to a candidate or national party committee, an individual can give up to $2,700 to a specific candidate per election, or $33,400 to a national party committee (“Contribution Limits”). Laws like these were created in order to limit the disproportionate influence of wealthy individuals, aid in regulating federal campaign spending and protect against dishonesty concerning campaign finances(“Introduction”). Therefore, to succeed in a presidential election, a candidate must skillfully balance how much money they accept from certain sources in order to maintain the legality and eligibility of their campaign. Furthermore, a candidate who is funded mainly by larger sources such as super pacs which Beth Rowen describes as “...independent political committees that support a candidate with unlimited, often anonymous, donations from companies, unions, or individuals a technicality in the disclosure rules allows donors to remain anonymous for months.”(Rowen par. 2), are unlikely to gain gain much favor with individual voters. According to a web page sponsored by Brennan Center for Justice, a poll conducted by the independent Opinion Research Corporation found that 26% of americans stated a lack of inclination to vote due to the amount of influence large donors like super PACs have on elected officials and that an additional 65% stated large they have less trust in the government due to the influence of super pacs and other large donors (“Poll: Super PAC’s” par.
For instance, according to a web page sponsored by the Federal Election Commission, while a whole union is not allowed to donate any money directly to a candidate or national party committee, an individual can give up to $2,700 to a specific candidate per election, or $33,400 to a national party committee (“Contribution Limits”). Laws like these were created in order to limit the disproportionate influence of wealthy individuals, aid in regulating federal campaign spending and protect against dishonesty concerning campaign finances(“Introduction”). Therefore, to succeed in a presidential election, a candidate must skillfully balance how much money they accept from certain sources in order to maintain the legality and eligibility of their campaign. Furthermore, a candidate who is funded mainly by larger sources such as super pacs which Beth Rowen describes as “...independent political committees that support a candidate with unlimited, often anonymous, donations from companies, unions, or individuals a technicality in the disclosure rules allows donors to remain anonymous for months.”(Rowen par. 2), are unlikely to gain gain much favor with individual voters. According to a web page sponsored by Brennan Center for Justice, a poll conducted by the independent Opinion Research Corporation found that 26% of americans stated a lack of inclination to vote due to the amount of influence large donors like super PACs have on elected officials and that an additional 65% stated large they have less trust in the government due to the influence of super pacs and other large donors (“Poll: Super PAC’s” par.