Financing Campaigns: Macro Level Innovation and Micro Level Response

Election campaign expenditures have increased as new institutionalized channels for contributing campaign funds have developed and the number of individual contributors has increased. During the 1980 presidential campaign, contributors had the choice of four avenues for funding campaigns: traditional party organizations, individual candidate committees, interest group PACs and the tax check-off program. Each mode was used by different types of contributors. The Presidential Campaign Fund, supported by the federal income tax "check-off," attracted young, middle income taxpayers not much involved in partisan politics. Contributors to PACs were from upper socioeconomic strata, predominantly Democrats and liberals, but also with limited political commitments. Party contributors, the smallest of the groups, were older, highly involved, heavily Republican and conservative, and very active in politics. Those whose money went directly to candidates were like the party supporters except they were more numerous, much younger and even more involved in partisan political activity.