ABSTRACT
In the United States, the loosening of campaign finance regulation has led to the growth of numerous organizations that orbit around US political parties and try to influence them: Political Action Committees (PACs), Independent Expenditure Only Committees (better known as SuperPACs), 501c4 and 501c6. Their different legal forms cannot hide their commonality as these are all somewhat established to receive financial contributions for certain political aims. Can we see these groups as alternative vehicles for politically engaged citizens to try and influence public policy and electoral results outside – and often against – political parties? Beyond the sometimes moralistic tenor of the literature on these organizations, this chapter will attempt a disinterested appraisal of the political efforts and motivations of the citizens behind these groups. Contrary to what is commonly done, the focus of the chapter will not be on the contributions that some of these groups can make directly by giving money to the party or a candidate’s campaign fund. Instead, using publicly available data from the US Federal Election Commission (FEC), as well as the public images displayed by some of these groups through their website and online presence, this chapter will focus on how these groups use the financial resources they collect for their own selves. Looking at how they spend their money for their own ends should give a clearer window into their ambitions. Should they be seen as adjuncts or adversaries of traditional parties? What specific role do they play beyond fundraising? How independent are they really from the political parties their actions can help put into office?
