How this works. Each stem starts an analytical sentence. Finish it in one or two sentences with a named case, a date and a clear analytical point. Press the hint button if you stall.
Sentence 1Citizens United
Citizens United v FEC 2010 changed US campaign finance because
Hint: Citizens United changed who can spend, and how much — and created a new vehicle (Super PACs).
Sentence 2Harris 2024
The 2024 election is the strongest evidence against the money-determines-outcomes thesis because
Hint: Compare 2024 fundraising with the 2024 result — who outraised whom and who won?
Sentence 3Bloomberg 2020
Mike Bloomberg's 2020 primary campaign showed that
Hint: Bloomberg 2020: massive spending against tiny delegate return — what does that limit say about money?
Sentence 4Incumbent advantage
House incumbents win 96% of re-election races partly because
Hint: Money is one driver of the incumbent advantage — but list other non-money drivers.
Sentence 5Donor concentration
In 2024, around 70% of Super PAC money came from
Hint: Concentration: roughly how many donors fund the bulk of Super PAC money?
Sentence 6Musk and DOGE
Elon Musk's $250m to Trump-supporting groups in 2024 followed by his appointment to DOGE shows
Hint: Money did not decide 2024 — but think about what it did decide for Musk afterwards.
Sentence 7Small-dollar revolution
The small-dollar donor revolution from Sanders 2016 onwards means
Hint: Sanders 2016 and AOC: small-dollar fundraising — diffusion of money-power, not concentration.
Sentence 8Candidate quality
Sherrod Brown ran 4 points ahead of Harris in Ohio in 2024 because
Hint: Brown ran ahead of his party in Ohio — what factor besides money does this show?
Sentence 9Comparative UK
The UK system is structurally more egalitarian than the US because
Hint: Three structural rules in UK elections that prevent a US-style money race.
Sentence 10BCRA 2002
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002 (McCain-Feingold) attempted to
Hint: What did BCRA 2002 try to ban — and what later case undid most of it?
Sentence 11No fence-sitting
On this question I commit to the line that money does NOT determine US elections, which means
Hint: Money has effects but doesn't determine outcomes — name the bigger drivers.
Sentence 12AO3 evaluation
The mark scheme rewards 'fully focused and justified conclusions', which means
Hint: Two AO3 habits: interim judgements and synthesis (not summary) in conclusions.