Publication

This report explores the super PACs (Political Action Committee) in the US: what they are, how they developed, and what they raised and spent in the 2010 and 2012 election cycles. As of this writing, Congress has not yet amended the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) to formally recognize the role of the super PACs. The author argues that, as with most campaign finance issues, whether Congress decides to take action on the super PAC issue, and how, will likely depend on the extent to which super PAC activities are viewed as an exercise in free speech by independent organizations versus thinly veiled extensions of individual campaigns.