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Experimental Evidence on the Relationship Between Candidate Funding Sources and Voter Evaluations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2017

Conor M. Dowling  and
Michael G. Miller
Conor M. Dowling
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Mississippi, 235 Deupree Hall, University, MS 38677, USA; e-mail: [email protected]
Michael G. Miller
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Barnard College, Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA; e-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Money comes from a variety of sources in American elections. It is unclear however whether voters’ knowledge about a candidate's funding portfolio influences how that candidate is evaluated. We present the results of two survey experiments in which we randomly assigned the composition of donors from various categories to a hypothetical candidate. We find that on average a candidate described as having received a majority of his contributions from individuals is evaluated more highly than one who received a majority of his contributions from interest groups. We also find that when it comes to self-financing a campaign, using private sector money is more beneficial to candidates than using inherited money, but only when the candidate is a member of the same party as the voter. Our results have implications for campaign strategy, academic debates concerning the effect of money on elections, and policy debates concerning the effects of increased campaign finance disclosure.

Keywords

Campaign financedisclosurePACssurvey experiment
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Experimental Political Science , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , Winter 2016 , pp. 152 - 163
Copyright
Copyright © The Experimental Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2017 

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