Paper 3 USA · Elections and campaign finance
US elections and campaign finance - sentence stems
4 point and counter pairs - the opening lines that lock a balanced paragraph.
How to use these. Each pair is the opening line for a balanced paragraph - a Point and a Counter on the same theme. Read both aloud, cover one and recall it. Every paragraph carries both before its interim judgement.
The reach of money
Point - the case for
Citizens United (2010) created Super PACs and dark money and helped triple spending from about $5bn in 2008 to about $15.9bn in 2024.
Counter - the case against
But money is necessary, not sufficient - Bloomberg spent over $1bn in the 2020 primary for a single delegate.
The Electoral College
Point - the case for
The College channels money and campaigning into a handful of swing states.
Counter - the case against
But it can also install the popular-vote loser, as in 2000 and 2016, so structure sets the terms, not spending.
Who funds campaigns
Point - the case for
Around 70% of 2024 Super PAC money came from fewer than 100 individuals.
Counter - the case against
Yet in 2024 the better-funded candidate lost the swing states, so partisanship decided more than cash.
Safe seats
Point - the case for
Gerrymandering means money pours into a few contested races.
Counter - the case against
But where seats are safe the primary, not spending, decides - the contest money cannot buy.