ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights various fundraising strategies used by candidates and the issues that emerged with respect to the role of money in political campaigns. Donald Trump's unlikely and unorthodox path to the presidency defied conventional political thinking in many ways, particularly with respect to the role of money in presidential campaigns. Federal candidates raised more than $3 billion during the 2016 election cycle, with presidential candidates raising a total of $1.57 billion and congressional candidates taking in $1.64 billion. All of this money was raised under the contribution limits and disclosure rules that govern donations to federal candidates. The law specifically prohibits contributions to candidates from corporations, labor unions, and foreign citizens who do not have legal status as resident aliens. Presidential candidates also have the option of financing their campaigns with public funds. In contrast to the Democrats, the Republican race attracted an unusually large field of candidates, including many well-established politicians.
