Portal:Politics/Selected article/2006, week 50

Campaign finance refers to the means by which money is raised for election campaigns. As campaigns have many expenditures, ranging from the cost of travel for the candidate and others to the purchasing of air time for TV advertisements, they often spend a great deal of time and effort raising money to finance their cause.

Campaigns vary in their techniques for doing this. Some smaller campaigns, given their relatively low fundraising needs, will raise little to no money. Larger campaigns, such as campaigns for President of the United States, will raise hundreds of millions of dollars.

Campaign contributions are often provided by lobbyists, corporations, trade unions, and other special interest groups. These interests often expect something in return (such as specific legislation being enacted or defeated) so some have come to equate campaign finance with political corruption and bribery. These views have led some governments to impose restrictions on fundraising sources and techniques in the hope of eliminating perceived undue influence being given to monied interests.