Some 44,000 people – about one-hundredth of 1% of the US population – have given $10,000 or more each to this election. So much money from so few donors inevitably distorts the political process.
Andrew Yang ended his campaign after the New Hampshire primary.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
TV has long been the golden goose of political advertising – the one who spends the most wins. That’s over, and it’s a new era of digital advertising. No one’s done it better than Donald Trump.
Cyril Ramaphosa led the African National Congress to victory in May. A new law on political funding covers parties, not politicians.
EPA-EFE/Yeshiel Panchia
Is money the root of all evil in politics? It’s easy to see a correlation between winning and fundraising – money flows to likely winners and competitive races. But correlation is not causation.
Trump’s long-time lawyer and political ‘fixer’ has pleaded guilty to breaking two campaign finance laws, allegedly at the direction of the president.
Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
Trump’s former personal lawyer broke two laws that control political spending, both passed after major election scandals. President Roosevelt survived his campaign’s misdeeds. Nixon did not.
Protestors in front of the U.S. Capitol, May, 2017.
Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
Jan Leighley, American University School of Public Affairs and Jennifer Oser, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Citizen activists can influence the policy positions of their elected representatives. Their activism might well counter the advantages of the wealthy in America.
Money is essential to the proper functioning of democracy and elections, yet transparency and integrity in financing is paramount.
Yuri Gripas/Reuters
As the rest of the world watches the circus that has been the 2016 US presidential campaign, questions about how the elections and candidates are being financed continue to be raised.
Malcolm Turnbull has suggested the political donations issue is complex.
EPA/Made Nagi