Campaign finance in the United States

Campaign finance in the United States is the financing of electoral campaigns at the federal, state and local levels. There are many sources of finance: direct donations from individuals, organizations, especially Political Action Committee and political parties -- "hard money" -- and indirect, unregulated "soft money" donations to organizations that support a candidate but are not officially affiliated to his or her campaign. There are substantial differences in how campaigns are funded, depending on the type of election (e.g. for an executive or a legislator and whether it is at the federal, state or local level). Public funding is available for presidential candidates during the election campaigns during both the primaries and the general election. Eligibility requirements must be fulfilled in order to qualify for public funding and those that do accept public funding are subject to spending limits. Campaign finance is a controversial issue, with free speech cited as an argument against legal restrictions and allegations of corruption from those who favor existing or further restrictions.

Related Topics:
Campaign finance - United States - Electoral campaigns - Political Action Committee - Presidential - Primaries - General election - Free speech

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