Date of Graduation
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Political Science
Advisor/Mentor
Sebold, Karen
Committee Member
Dowdle, Andrew
Second Committee Member
Hammond, Kelly
Third Committee Member
Holland, Edward
Abstract
While experts and laymen alike have agreed that United States politics have become more polarized over the last few decades, there are few answers about what has driven that polarization, as well as how that polarization has affected the campaign system. In addition, changes to campaign finance as a result of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, 558 US 310 (2010) altered the ways that money could be raised and spent to support or oppose candidates. The effects of these changes in presidential election campaigns have been well documented. This research will investigate changing trends in campaign finance in United States Senate elections amongst Republican candidates, with a particular emphasis on understanding if and how a candidate’s ideological positions affect how their campaign committees and outside groups raise funds. This research will cover election cycles from 2012, 2016, and 2020 Elections. By studying several election cycles, this research will show whether there are trends over time relating to ideological position and campaign finance issues. Using the Stanford University Database on Ideology, Money in Politics, and Elections (DIME), this research will utilize regression analysis to expose any correlations between ideological position and a variety of campaign finance topics, including donation totals, disbursements, independent expenditures, PAC support, and party support. In doing so, this project will provide a glimpse into how ideology and campaign finance are related statistically.
Keywords
Campaign Finance; Polarization; Senate; Elections; Republicans; Citizens United
Citation
Terrell, J. P. (2025). Comparative Trends in Campaign Finance for United States Senate Elections After Citizens United. Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/plscuht/47