campaign finance reform

1. A movement, fueled in recent decades by political candidates' increasing dependence on expensive television advertisements, to restrict the amount of money that individuals and interest groups can contribute to political campaigns. Although limits have been placed on individual contributions, a loophole has been left for political action committees. Both parties pay lip service to the principle of campaign finance reform, but neither fully supports it. Some liberals see it as the best way to secure the independence of politicians from moneyed interests; some conservatives view it as a threat to freedom of speech.

Example Sentences

His know-nothing rabble-rousing appalled progressives who otherwise admired him for his principled stands against the Vietnam War and in favor of campaign finance reform.

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The organization, which held the event to celebrate its 10th anniversary, supports candidates who champion campaign finance reform; it strives to overturn Citizens United, a 2010 Supreme Court decision that loosened restrictions on the amount of independent expenditure groups could contribute to candidates during elections.

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Before he became Senate GOP leader, McConnell was perhaps best known for his advocacy on behalf of unlimited, anonymous donations in political campaigns, repeatedly tussling with former Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., over campaign finance reform and leading efforts to open the floodgates of so-called “dark money” even after the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 was signed into law.

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Then the last bucket is major campaign finance reform and fighting back against corruption in particular.

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I would say one thing overall that everybody wants, that our candidates are also going to be pushing for, is major campaign finance reform, because the people who should have a say in the elections are their voters, and repeatedly, the American people — they feel like democracy is not working for them, that it's only representing special interests that are not representative of the people within their districts.

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