Ted Cruz’$ Unprecedented Finance$

Chapter Eight of Politics and Communication in America by Kuypers and Denton, Jr. discusses Campaign Planning, Management, Strategies, and Tactics. On Pg. 164, a passage entitled “Key Elements of a Campaign” starts. There are six elements for campaigning, and  one of the most important is finance. Four affiliated supers PACs, (Political Action Committees) announced that by the end of the week they will have raised $31 million to fund Sen. Ted Cruz and his Presidential bid. According to some campaign finance experts, the fact that multiple super-PACs are coming together to support one candidate is unprecedented. Kuypers and Denton, Jr. state that money is the lifeblood of politics and that there is a strong connection between success in an election and how much money a candidate is able to raise. There are many guidelines on how to obtain funds and where to obtain them from. This is sort of where PACs come in. In 2002, reform was passed where groups are allowed to raise however much money without disclosing any amounts. These advocacy groups and organizations influence elections through voter mobilization and with issue ads. In Sen. Cruz’s case, the four super-PACs are gaining a lot of power and influence in the upcoming election because of how much money they are donating to his cause. All of these super-PACs are connected to wealthy individuals such as the Koch brothers. Campaign strategists know one thing for certain, that donors will be getting more powerful in the future when it comes to campaign finances.