Dark Money, Super PACs, and the 2012 Election [Paperback]

More than two billion dollars. Thats how much money was spent in the 2012 presidential campaignthe most expensive campaign in history. Each party raised and spent more than one billion dollars as the traditional boundaries of campaign financing were ignored. Both parties could do so because they were playing in a game with new rulesrules that largely developed after the 2010 Supreme Court ruling known as Citizens United. That case removed many restrictions on donation limits, particularly for corporations and unions. The result was the development of a new set of political players called Super PACs that were allowed to enter the political arena and spend an unlimited amount of money on behalf of clients.
This book looks at how Super PACs raised and spent money and influenced the 2012 election. It provides an insightful look at how both right- and left-leaning groups approached the election and impacted the political process.

Melissa M. Smith is assistant professor of communication at Mississippi University for Women.
Larry Powell is professor of communication studies at the University of AlabamaBirmingham.

The Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission dramatically restructured how American elections are funded by gutting restrictions on corporations' ability to give money to political candidates. One of the most impactful resultant changes was the rise of the super PAC, a new kind of political action committee that could raise exponentially larger sums than its predecessors by channeling corporate donations. Although the full significance of super PACs will not be known for several election cycles, this study is a fine initial exploration of how they have altered the American electoral landscape. Smith and Powell compartmentalize their approach by detailing and analyzing the role that super PACs played in the Republican presidential primaries, in President Obama's preparations for his reelection bilC.