Truthout
Campaign Finance
![A hundred-dollar bill peeks out from behind a U.S. flag](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/04/2019_0403-US-Flag-money-400x300.jpg)
When Money Talks, Citizens’ Voices Get Drowned Out
Thanks to their wealth, a minuscule economic elite as well as big corporations now shape policies.
![Democrats Drop Corporate and PAC Money Amid Pressure From Progressives](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/04/SEG21-400x300.jpg)
Democrats Drop Corporate and PAC Money Amid Pressure From Progressives
More than half of the Democrats newly elected to Congress have vowed not to accept corporate donations.
![Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) listens during a Senate Commerce Subcommittee](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/04/2019_0402-ted-cruz-400x300.jpg)
Ted Cruz’s FEC Suit Could Give Special Interests More Power in Federal Elections
The suit attempts to overturn rules limiting how much a candidate can raise to reimburse themselves for campaign loans.
![Former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who recently announced he is running for president, speaks at a meet and greet with voters at Keene State College on his first visit to the state, on March 19, 2019, in Keene, New Hampshire.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/03/2019_0324-pac-400x300.jpg)
Shunning Corporate PACs Won’t End Corporate Influence in Elections
Industry will still find ways for money to reach the candidate through “individual donations.”
![](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-180832297-400x300.jpg)
Foreign-Owned Corporations Funnel Millions Into US Elections
Under current rules, the Federal Election Commission has no tools to stop any sort of influence from foreign nationals.
![Former Texas Congressman and Democratic party presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke leans in to hear a comment after speaking to diners at The Pig & Porter restaurant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 15, 2019.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/03/2019_0319_beto-o-rourke-400x300.jpg)
Beto O’Rourke Raises $6.1 Million in First 24 Hours of His Campaign
It's the largest initial fundraising haul for any Democratic contender who has disclosed figures to date.
![A barbed wire prison fence with U.S. currency overlay](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/03/2019_0313prison-fence-money-400x300.jpg)
As Bankers Back Away, For-Profit Prison Companies Step Up Political Spending
Under mounting pressure from critics, private-prison firms are stepping up their political influence.
![Donald Trump listens during a meeting in the white house](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/03/2019_0311-donald-trump-meeting-400x300.jpg)
Self-Funding Candidates Represent Themselves, Not Constituents
Politicians best represent those who fund them. Self-funders like Trump will always put their own interests first.
![Michael Cohen in an elevator at Trump Tower](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/02/2019_0228-michael-cohen-trump-400x300.jpg)
Cohen Knows What Trump Is Capable Of. His Testimony Should Terrify Us.
Cohen said he fears that if Trump loses in 2020, “there will never be a peaceful transition of power.”
![Direct dark money spending by groups funded entirely by anonymous donors hit nearly $150 million reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2018 election cycle alone.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/02/GettyImages-72797253-400x300.jpg)
A Billion Dollars in Dark Money Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
The environment is ripe for effectively unlimited secret political spending.