Super PACs give voters more choice

last updated 8 January 2015

Josh Kraushaar

National Journal

Despite all the hand-wringing over Super PACs, said Josh Kraushaar, they are actually good for democracy. Campaign finance laws that limit contributions always serve to protect incumbents, who “have all the perks of power at their disposal to help them raise cash.” With the rise of Super PACs, challengers can now close this fund-raising gap. Well-heeled donors like Sheldon Adelson and Foster Friess have kept Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum in the fight for the GOP nomination long after their own funds ran out. In the general election to come, Super PACs will give the Republican nominee a way to compete with President Obama’s fund-raising juggernaut. Good-government types always bemoan the influence of money on politics, but evidence shows “little connection between strict campaign finance laws and good governance.” Virginia allows unlimited contributions and runs clean elections. New Jersey has strict campaign finance rules and is plagued by political corruption. Attempts to keep money out of politics are not only futile—they only serve to give an unfair advantage to those in power.