ABSTRACT

The Federal Election Campaign Act specifically prohibits the establishment of a political action committee (PAC) as a candidate campaign committee. The statutory ambiguity concerning the definition of "campaign-related" activities has led some committees to seek prior approval of their proposed actions from the Federal Election Commission. Prospective presidential candidates, eager to advance their candidacies and initiate their campaigns, have responded to this permissive regulatory environment by expanding their reliance on PACs, especially during the early years of a presidential election cycle. The chapter traces the rise of the candidate-sponsored committees and highlights the extent to which prospective candidates have taken advantage of these structures in elections. It deals with a review of the growth in the use of these committees during the 1980s. The chapter presents an analysis of available Federal Election Commission data to determine the financial activity of candidate-sponsored PACs since 1977.