Financing the 1988 Election

What cost more than $2,7 billion and increased 50 percent over levels just four years earlier? Campaign-related spending during the 1987-1988 U.S. election cycle topped all previous records, not only in amount but also in ingenuity. The 1988 election saw the advent of a wide variety of political funding vehicles, some of which demonstrate the inventiveness of political actors in circumventing the laws of campaign finance and continue to provoke controversy and demands for further regulation. Financing the 1988 Election goes beyond totaling campaign expenditures to carefully document the sources of the money spent. Alexander and Bauer treat campaign money as a tracer element that, when carefully tracked, reveals valuable information about people and patterns of political power. They describe in detail the role that money played in the campaigns of each of the major contenders for the 1988 presidential nomination and election and in congressional campaigns as well. Funding innovations and outlays-including the uses of soft money, independent expenditures, communication costs, and political broadcasting-are highlighted along the way. By following the money path, Alexander and Bauer shed light on often obscure aspects of the political process and contribute to our understanding of political influence and power in the United States. In an epilogue, Alexander offers a valuable update on congressional efforts to develop appropriate campaign finance reform legislation. Financing the 1988 Election deserves a space on scholars’ and students’ shelves alike for its authoritative compilation of essential and telling data. It is applicable to a wide variety of American government courses, including campaigns and elections, parties, and public opinion.