Campaign Contributions and the Case of Competing Interest Groups

• In Event: Whose Voice And How? Exit, Voice, and Loyalty in Education Politics

Abstract

How do interest groups choose which candidates to support in elections and to what extent do groups take into account the actions of other interest groups? There is a large literature on campaign donations, but most of it operates in a void, focusing on single interest groups or industries. We seek to expand on this literature by using the case of education interest groups to examine the flow of campaign contributions from interests directly in competition with each other. We track campaign contributions from teachers' unions as well as education reform advocacy groups, two groups often at odds in terms of policies and endorsed candidates. We ask what factors spur donations from both groups and what types of candidates are most likely to get funded. We additionally ask whether these two interests collaborate in their giving, with national, state, and local unions, on the one hand, and reform groups, on the other, complementing each other's efforts.

Authors

• Leslie K. Finger, Harvard University

• Sarah E. Reckhow, Michigan State University