The Rise of the Small Super Donor & the Looming Transformation of Political Influence

Authors

Dustin Phelps, Brigham Young University
Jay Goodliffe, Brigham Young University

Keywords

small super donor, transformation of political influence, American campaign finance system

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

In light of ongoing controversy over Super PACS, I chose to study how small donors might offset the disproportionate influence that the wealthy have traditionally maintained in the American campaign finance system. The dramatic rise of small donors in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 presidential elections heralds a democratic force that could theoretically balance the donor landscape in unprecedented ways.1 Since small donors are much more representative of the general population than the traditional wealthy donor, a strong enough presence of small donors could potentially close America’s political influence gap.2

Recommended Citation

Phelps, Dustin and Goodliffe, Jay (2017) "The Rise of the Small Super Donor & the Looming Transformation of Political Influence," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2017: Iss. 1, Article 69.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2017/iss1/69