Independent expenditures go for campaign activities that are not supposed to be coordinated in any way with the candidate s campaign. Congressional Campaign Money Contributors tend to favor winners. Thus, incumbents generally are favored, and challengers have a more difficult time. Congressional Campaign Money Money is not likely to win a presidential election for someone, but here the candidates are likely to be able to get their message out. In other races, it may make a difference, particularly if lack of money keeps the message from reaching a receptive audience.
Presidential candidates spend money on the swing states.
Most of the money is spent on television advertising as it is the most efficient way to reach an electorate of nearly 100 million. Even if campaigns were fully funded by tax dollars and private contributions to candidates were prohibited, people and organizations would remain free to spend all the money they could gather on independent campaigns supporting or attacking candidates. Fundamental changes are unlikely because there is no consensus on what would count as an improvement or how to achieve it. The Logic of Elections Revisited Despite problems, our elections seem to work. Citizens pick their agents and fire those whose performance falls short.